Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
This is book is made for people who collect for or are interested in
the Mega Drive/Genesis. I made this book cause` I like to catalog
and categorize stuff, and to learn more about the system.
I have tried to make the book well presented and easy to look
through. If you are happy with the book then please look at some of
the web-sites on the “Reference Guide” page. Find a site that you
like and give them some spending money.
If you are annoyed, or the owner of some of the content i took from
you, send an email to me: sennep@hotmail.com. The book is free,
and I hope the information and pictures I use comes under free-use.
I hope you will get some use of this book, and maybe help you in
your quest on collecting, or just having fun with this great system.
All rights are NOT reserved. EVERY part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, in-
cluding photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher. I do not own
anything in this book. You use part of this publication on your OWN RISK though. As places in this book may have a copyright by the original
owner.
Sega Mega Drive
This is a short wikipedia introduction for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis.
The Genesis was Sega’s third console and the successor to the Master System.
In the early 1980s, Sega Enterprises, Inc., then a subsidiary of Gulf & Western, was one of the top five arcade
game manufacturers active in the United States, as company revenues rose to $214 million. A downturn in the
arcade business starting in 1982 seriously hurt the company, leading Gulf & Western to sell its North American
arcade manufacturing organization and the licensing rights for its arcade games to Bally Manufacturing. The
company retained Sega’s North American R&D operation, as well as its Japanese subsidiary, Sega of Japan.
With its arcade business in decline, Gulf & Western executives turned to Sega of Japan’s president, Hayao
Nakayama, for advice on how to proceed. Nakayama advocated that the company leverage its hardware ex-
pertise gained through years working in the arcade industry to move into the home console market in Japan,
which was in its infancy at the time.
Nakayama received permission to proceed with this project, leading to the release of Sega’s first home video
game system, the SG-1000, in July 1983. The SG-1000 was not successful, and was replaced by the Sega
Mark III within two years. In the meantime, Gulf & Western began to divest itself of its non-core businesses
after the death of company founder Charles Bluhdorn, so Nakayama and former Sega CEO David Rosen ar-
ranged a management buyout of the Japanese subsidiary in
1984 with financial backing from CSK Corporation, a promi-
nent Japanese software company. Nakayama was then in-
stalled as CEO of the new Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
In 1986, Sega redesigned the Mark III for release in North
America as the Sega Master System. This was followed by a
European release the next year. Although the Master System
was a success in Europe, and later also Brazil, it failed to ignite
significant interest in the Japanese or North American mar-
kets, which, by the mid-to-late 1980s, were both dominated by Nintendo. With Sega continuing to have dif-
ficulty penetrating the home market, Sega’s console R&D team, led by Masami Ishikawa and supervised by
Hideki Sato, began work on a successor to the Master System almost immediately after that console launched.
In 1987, Sega faced another threat to its console business when Japanese computer giant NEC released the
PC Engine amid great publicity. To remain competitive against the two more established consumer electronics
companies, Ishikawa and his team decided they needed to incorporate a 16-bit microprocessor into their new
system to make an impact in the marketplace and once again turned to Sega’s strengths in the arcade industry
to adapt the successful Sega System 16 arcade board into a home console architecture. The decision to use a
Motorola 68000 as the system’s main CPU was made late in development, while a Zilog Z80 was used as a
secondary CPU to handle the sound due to fears that the load to the main CPU would be too great if it handled
both the visuals and the audio.
First announced in June 1988 in Beep!, a Japanese gaming magazine, the developing console was referred
to as the “Mark V,” but Sega management felt the need for a stronger name. After reviewing more than 300
proposals, the company settled on “Mega Drive.” In North America, the name of the console was changed to
“Genesis.” The reason for this change is not known, but it may have been due to a trademark dispute.
Launch
Sega released the Mega Drive in Japan on October 29, 1988, though the launch was overshadowed by Nin-
tendo’s release of Super Mario Bros. 3 a week earlier. Positive coverage from magazines Famitsu and Beep!
helped to establish a following, but Sega only managed to ship 400,000 units in the first year. In order to
increase sales, Sega released various peripherals and games, including an online banking system and answer-
ing machine called the Sega Mega Anser. Nevertheless, the Mega Drive was unable to overtake the venerable
Famicom and remained a distant third in Japan behind Nintendo’s Super Famicom and NEC’s PC Engine
throughout the 16-bit era.
Sega announced a North American release date for the system on Janu-
ary 9, 1989. At the time, Sega did not possess a North American sales and
marketing organization and was distributing its Master System through
Tonka. Dissatisfied with Tonka’s performance, Sega looked for a new
partner to market the Genesis in North America and offered the rights to
Atari Corporation, which did not yet have a 16-bit system. David Rosen
made the proposal to Atari CEO Jack Tramiel and the president of Atari’s
Entertainment Electronics Division, Michael Katz. Tramiel declined to
acquire the new console, deeming it too expensive, and instead opted to focus on the Atari ST. Sega decided
to launch the console through its own Sega of America subsidiary, which executed a limited launch on August
14, 1989, in New York City and Los Angeles. The Sega Genesis was released in the rest of North America
later that year.
Sega was able to outsell Nintendo four Christmas seasons in a row due to the Genesis’ head start, a lower price
point, and a larger library of games when compared to the Super Nintendo at its release. Sega had ten games
for every game on SNES, and while the SNES had an exclusive version of Final Fight, one of Sega’s internal
development teams created Streets of Rage, which had bigger levels, tougher enemies, and a well-regarded
soundtrack. ASCII Entertainment reported in spring 1993 that Genesis had 250 titles versus 75 for Super Nin-
tendo, but limited shelf space meant that stores typically offered 100 Genesis and 50 Super Nintendo titles.
The NES was still the leader, with 300 titles and 100 on shelves.
Sega’s advertising positioned the Genesis as the cooler console, and as its advertising evolved, the company
coined the term “blast processing” (the origin of which is an obscure programming trick on the console’s
graphics hardware) to suggest that the processing capabilities of the Genesis were far greater than those of the
SNES. A Sony focus group found that teenage boys would not admit to owning a SNES rather than a Genesis.
With the Genesis often outselling the SNES at a ratio of 2:1, Nintendo and Sega both focused heavily on im-
pression management of the market, even going to the point of deception, with Nintendo claiming they had
sold more consoles in 1991 than they actually had, and forecasting they would sell 6 million consoles by the
end of 1992, while their actual U.S. install base at the end of 1992 was only just more than 4 million units.
Due to these tactics, it was difficult to ascertain a clear leader in market share for several years at a time, with
Nintendo’s dollar share of the U.S. 16-bit market dipping down from 60% at the end of 1992 to 37% at the
end of 1993, Sega claiming 55% of all 16-bit hardware sales during 1994, and Donkey Kong Country helping
the SNES to outsell the Genesis from 1995 through 1997. According to a 2004 study of NPD sales data that
presents year by year charts through 2001, the Sega Genesis was able to maintain its lead over the Super NES
in the American 16-bit console market. However, according to a 2014 Wedbush Securities report based on
revised NPD sales data, the SNES ultimately outsold the Genesis in the U.S. market.
Sega sold 30.75 million Genesis units worldwide. Of these, 3.58 million were sold in Japan, while sales in
Europe and the U.S. are roughly estimated at 8 million and 18 million as of June 1997 (at which time Sega
was no longer manufacturing the system) respectively. In 1998, Sega licensed the Genesis to Majesco in North
America so that it could rerelease the console. Majesco began reselling millions of formerly unsold cartridges
at a budget price, together with 150,000 units of the second model of the Genesis. It later released the Sega
Genesis 3, projecting to sell 1.5 million units of the console by the end of 1998. In addition, an estimated 3
million Genesis units were sold by Tec Toy in Brazil.
Reference Guide
These are web sites that i use alot for pictures/screenshots, reference and much of the information. If I have
not used wikipedia on a game description, then I have tried to credit it at the bottom of the text.
I can recommend all of these websites, as they are very informative and fun to look through. If you are the
owner of one of these sites and feel that i have done you wrong, then please send me an e-mail and i will make
the necessary change to your wish.
SegaRetro
“Welcome to Sega Retro, a project from the people behind Sonic Retro. We aim to
cover everything possible about Sega from the 1940s to today. We currently are work-
ing on 10,167 articles and have many more that are requested to be worked on.”
Scanlines16
http://scanlines16.com/en/
RarityGuide
“Digital Press is dedicated to the “Pac-rats” among video gamers... those with
short attention spans, library-sized collections, and consoles precariously wired in a
web-like fashion. Check around - we cover just about everything “retro” including
Atari, Nintendo, SEGA, as well as all of the other consoles, both new and old.”
GameFAQs
“Founded in 1995, GameFAQs has over 40000 video game FAQs, Guides and
Walkthroughs, over 250000 cheat codes, and over 100000 reviews.”
http://www.gamefaqs.com/
NeoFuji
Moby Games
“MobyGames is the oldest, largest and most accurate video game database for
games of every platform spanning 1979-2014.”
http://www.mobygames.com/
Emuparadise
“Looking for video games? You’ve come to the right place! You will find hundreds
of thousands of roms, isos and games here.”
http://www.emuparadise.me/
10 • GameCube Games
Page Break-Down
This is a break-down of what the pages consist of:
C E B A
A. NTSC Cover-Art
This represent the cover art. I used GameFAQs for much of the pictures. The cover is NTSC
(North-American). If the game did not get a NTSC release, I would use PAL, then NTSC-J
(Japanese), or a Brazilian cover, if this was the only release.
B. Info
This is the Info box. I used mainly wikipedia for help for information on the Developers and
Publishers. I suspect some of the information is wrong, as often the developer credited is
actually the makers of the original game, e.g. arcades, and not the one who did the home con-
sole port for example. Also, information often differ from different sources. “Mode” are what
the maximum players the game support. I used the information that is found on the box of
the game if it was present. In the info or trivia section, I wanted some content that would
reflect on what the game is about, or an interest part of trivia. If I used another site for informa-
tion and did a direct transcript, I would try to credit the source material. The credit is in italic.
C. Title Screen
This is a screenshot from the title screen of the game, found wherever. More often then not on
gametrailers.com.
D. Screen-shot
This is a random screenshot from the game. I mainly used gametrailers.com.
GameCube Games • 11
E. Web Reviews
The review score SHOULD and MUST be taken with a grain of salt. I used the review score
from “GameFAQs.com”, cause` they could often be seen as fair, as they usually are reviews by
several users. Though, some of the more obscure games often had few reviews, and could be
seen as biased. If the site did not have a review, i would not include one, as seen on the many
unlicensed games.
F. Rarity
In this section is used the rarity info found on digitpress.com. Though some may say their in-
foramtion is outdated, though that concern is mainly around their price/value settings of the
game. The rarity info are cover mainly the US and EU releases, and as such, the Japanese and
Brazilian rarity is omitted from the book. Also, the rarity list cover the loose cartridge, and not
a complete game. Remember, you should just take these scores with a grain of salt,
and should only be used as a refrence point, and not to be taken all too literally.
G. Release
These colored circles show what release the game got. J - Japan, N - NTSC, P - PAL and B - Brazil.
A yellow colored circled on the US releases represent a Sega Channel exclusive for that region.
“segaretro.org”
The Adventures of Mighty Max • 15
Aerobiz 6.4
Developer Koei
Publisher Koei
Release date (us) 1992
Genre Simulation
Mode 1-4 Players
Alien 3 6.4
Developer Probe Software
Publisher Arena Entertainment
Release date (us) 1992
(eu) October, 1992
Genre Action-platformer
Mode 1 Player
6.7 Animaniacs
Developer Konami
Publisher Konami
Release date (us) May 14, 1994
(eu) 1994
Genre Platformer
Mode 1 Player
B.O.B. 6.5
Developer Foley Hi-Tech Systems
Publisher Electronic Arts, (jp) Electronic Arts Victor
Release date (us) 1993
(eu) 1993
Genre Run ‘n’ gun
Mode 1 Player
Rarity US: 3
Digitized voice samples of Charles Barkley offer either
words of encouragement or ridicule while they play.
Rarity US: 3
“mobygames.com”
“mobygames.com”
6.9 Batman
Developer Sunsoft
Publisher Sunsoft, (eu) Sega
Release date (us) July 19, 1990
(eu) 1992
Genre Run ‘n’ gun
Mode 1 Player
Battletech: 7.1
A Game of Armored Combat
Developer Malibu Games
Publisher Extreme Entertainment
Release date (us) December 31, 1994
Genre Simulation
Mode 1-2 Players
Battletoads 6.8
Developer Rare
Publisher Tradewest, Sega
Release date (us) 1991
(eu) March 26, 1993
Genre Action, Beat ‘em up
Mode 1-2 Players
Rarity US: 2
6.2 Blockout
Developer California Dreams, Electronic Arts
Publisher Electronic Arts, (jp) Sega
Release date (us) 1991
(eu) 1991
Genre Puzzle
Mode 1-2 Players
“segaretro.org”
42 • Bodycount
Bodycount 5.1
Developer Probe Software
Publisher Sega
Release date (eu) 1994
Genre Light-gun
Mode 1-2 Players
6.7 Boogerman:
A Pick and Flick Adventure
Developer Interplay
Publisher Interplay
Release date (us) 1994
(eu) January, 1995
Genre Platformer
Mode 1 Player
Rarity EU: 2
The Mega Drive version spent 10 weeks at number 1
in the UK games charts during the summer of 1995.
Bubsy II 5.7
Developer Team Bubsy
Publisher Accolade
Release date (us) 1994
(eu) 1994
Genre Platformer
Mode 1-2 Players
Cadash 6.7
Developer Taito
Publisher Taito
Release date (us) 1992
Genre Platformer
Mode 1-2 Players
5.8 ClayFighter
Developer Visual Concepts, Ringler Studios
Publisher Interplay Entertainment
Release date (us) 1994
(eu) January, 1995
Genre Fighting
Mode 1-2 Players
3.9 Cliffhanger
Developer Malibu Interactive
Publisher Sony Imagesoft
Release date (us) 1993
(eu) 1993
Genre Action-platformer
Mode 1-2 Players
6.1 Clue
Developer Sculptured Software
Publisher Parker Brothers
Release date (us) 1992
Genre Board game
Mode 1-6 Players
“mobygames.com”
62 • College Football USA 96
Rarity US: 1
Electronic Gaming Monthly praised the wide selection
of teams, the multiplayer mode, and the use of plays
and animations from the NBA Live engine.
Rarity US: 1
Columns III • 65
7.1 Columns
Developer Sega
Publisher Sega
Release date (us) June 29, 1990
(eu) 1990
Genre Puzzle
Mode 1-2 Players
CrossFire 5.9
Developer A.I Company
Publisher Kyugo Trading Co.
Release date (us) 1991
Genre Shooter
Mode 1 Player
6.9 Curse
Developer Micronet
Publisher Micronet
Release date (jp) December 23, 1989
Genre Shooter
Mode 1 Player
Cyberball 5.8
Developer Sega
Publisher Sega
Release date (us) 1990
(eu) 1990
Genre Sports
Mode 1-2 Players
Cyber-Cop 4.9
Developer Core Design
Publisher Virgin Games
Release date (us) 1992
(eu) 1992
Genre Role-playing, First-person shooter
Mode 1 Player
Rarity US: 2 There are three modes: exhibition, playoffs, and role-
Rarity EU: 2 playing (a kind of career mode).
5.4 DJ Boy
Developer Kaneko, Inter State
Publisher Sega, (us) Kaneko
Release date (us) 1990
(eu) 1991
Genre Beat ‘em up
Mode 1 Player
Rarity EU: 4
Three difficulty levels determine how fast the play-
ers’ automobile gets repaired along with the winnings
earned from each track.
“segaretro.org”
88 • Dragon’s Revenge
El Viento 7.5
Developer Wolf Team
Publisher Renovation Products, (jp) Telenet Japan
Release date (us) 1991
Genre Platformer
Mode 1 Player
6.2 Ex-Mutants
Developer Malibu Interactive
Publisher Sega
Release date (us) 1992
(eu) 1992
Genre Action
Mode 1 Player
Exile 6.9
Developer Riot, Micro Factory
Publisher Renovation Products, (jp) Telenet Japan
Release date (us) December 5, 1991
Genre Action role-playing
Mode 1 Player
F1 7.6
Developer Lankhor, Tiertex, Domark
Publisher Domark
Release date (us) August 12, 1993
(eu) August 12, 1993
Genre Racing
Mode 1-2 Players
5.5 F1 Circus MD
Developer Nichibutsu, Micronics
Publisher Nichibutsu
Release date (jp) December 20, 1991
Genre Racing
Mode 1 Player
7.1 F1 World
Championship Edition
Developer Lankhor, Peakstar Software, Domark
Publisher Domark
Release date (eu) 1995
Genre Racing
Mode 1-2 Players
“mobygames.com”
Rarity US: 3
To answer questions, the player uses the D-pad to
move a cursor and pressing the required button in or-
der to select that letter and spell out their answer.
Fantasia 4.9
Developer Infogrames
Publisher Sega
Release date (us) November 21, 1991
(eu) November 23, 1991
Genre Platformer
Mode 1 Player
Fastest 1 7.1
Developer Human Entertainment
Publisher Human Entertainment
Release date (jp) June 28, 1991
Genre Racing
Mode 1-2 Players
Rarity US: 2
The game was followed up by a sequel on the Tur-
boGrafx-16.
Flashback: 8.1
The Quest for Identity
Developer Delphine Software
Publisher U.S. Gold, (jp) Sunsoft
Release date (us) February 12, 1993
(eu) April, 1993
Genre Platformer
Mode 1 Player
Flicky 5.8
Developer Sega AM6
Publisher Sega
Release date (us) 1991
(eu) 1991
Genre Platformer
Mode 1 Player
Flink 7.4
Developer Psygnosis
Publisher Sony Electronic Publishing
Release date (eu) 1994
Genre Platformer
Mode 1 Player
Flux
Developer EXP
Publisher Virgin Interactive
Release date (eu) August 28, 1995
Genre Miscellaneous
Mode 1 Player
6.5 Frogger
Developer Konami, Morning Star Multimedia
Publisher Majesco Sales
Release date (us) 1998
Genre Action
Mode 1-2 Players
“segaretro.org”
Gaiares 7.5
Developer Reno
Publisher Renovation Products, (jp) Telenet Japan
Release date (us) 1990
Genre Shooter
Mode 1 Player
Gargoyles 6.8
Developer Disney Inter., Creative Capers, Renegade Anim.
Publisher Buena Vista Interactive
Release date (us) May 15, 1995
Genre Platformer
Mode 1 Player
Rarity US: 2
The game boasts a hand-drawn appearance to Goliath,
Demona and the Viking enemies, but also a CGI-mod-
eled look for the robot enemies.
Gauntlet IV 7.7
Developer Atari Games, M2
Publisher Tengen
Release date (us) September 16, 1993
(eu) November, 1993
Genre Hack and slash
Mode 1-4 Players
7.1 Gemfire
Developer Koei
Publisher Koei
Release date (us) June 24, 1992
Genre Strategy
Mode 1-2 Players
Ghostbusters 7.4
Developer Sega, Compile
Publisher Sega
Release date (us) June 29, 1990
(eu) December, 1990
Genre Platformer
Mode 1 Player
Go Net
Developer Aisystem Tokyo
Publisher Sega
Release date (jp) 1992
Genre Software
Mode 1 Player
“segaretro.org”
Golden Axe • 121
6.3 Gods
Developer The Bitmap Brothers, Graftgold
Publisher Mindscape, (eu) Accolade, (jp) PCM Complete
Release date (us) 1992
(eu) 1993
Genre Platformer
Mode 1 Player
7.7 Granada
Developer Wolf Team, Cube
Publisher Renovation Products, (jp) Telenet Japan
Release date (us) 1990
Genre Shooter
Mode 1 Player
6.2 Greendog:
The Beached Surfer Dude!
Developer Interactive Designs
Publisher Sega
Release date (us) 1992
(eu) 1992
Genre Platformer
Mode 1 Player
5.1 Growl
Developer Taito, ITL
Publisher Taito
Release date (us) 1991
Genre Beat ‘em up
Mode 1 Player
Gunship 3.8
Developer MicroProse, Probe Software, Krisalis Software
Publisher U.S. Gold
Release date (eu) January, 1994
Genre Simulation, Shooter
Mode 1 Player
Gynoug 7.2
Developer NCS, Cube
Publisher DreamWorks, (eu) Sega, (jp) Masaya
Release date (us) June, 1991
(eu) 1991
Genre Shooter
Mode 1 Player
7.2 Hellfire
Developer NCS, Toaplan
Publisher Seismic, (eu) Sega, (jp) Masaya
Release date (us) 1991
(eu) 1991
Genre Shooter
Mode 1 Player
Hook 6.5
Developer Ukiyotei, Core Design
Publisher Sony Imagesoft
Release date (us) 1992
(eu) 1992
Genre Platformer
Mode 1 Player
Hurricanes 6.4
Developer Arc Developments
Publisher U.S. Gold
Release date (eu) 1994
Genre Platformer
Mode 1-2 Players
“mobygames.com”
Insector X 6.3
Developer Taito, Hot B
Publisher Sage’s Creation, (jp) Hot B
Release date (us) 1990
Genre Shooter
Mode 1 Player
International 8.0
Superstar Soccer Deluxe
Developer Factor 5
Publisher Konami
Release date (eu) 1996
Genre Sports
Mode 1-8 Players
4.1 Jammit
Developer GTE ImagiTrek
Publisher Virgin Interactive
Release date (us) 1994
(eu) 1994
Genre Sports
Mode 1-2 Players
“gaintbomb.com”
144 • Jantei Monogatari
“mobygames.com”
5.3 Jeopardy!
Developer Park Place Productions
Publisher GameTek
Release date (us) December, 1992
Genre Game show
Mode 1-3 Players
“mobygames.com”
6.6 Junction
Developer Konami, Micronet
Publisher Micronet
Release date (us) November, 1990
Genre Puzzle
Mode 1 Player
6.1 Kawasaki
SuperBike Challenge
Developer Lankhor
Publisher Time Warner Interactive, (eu) Domark
Release date (us) January, 1994
(eu) April, 1995
Genre Racing
Mode 1-2 Players
Klax 6.5
Developer Tengen, (jp) Namco
Publisher Tengen, (jp) Namco
Release date (us) September 6, 1990
(eu) 1990
Genre Puzzle
Mode 1-2 Players
8.4 Landstalker:
The Treasures of King Nole
Developer Climax Entertainment
Publisher Sega
Release date (us) October 29, 1992
(eu) October, 1993
Genre Action-adventure, Role-playing
Mode 1 Player
Langrisser II 8.8
Developer NCS, Cube
Publisher Masaya
Release date (jp) August 26, 1994
Genre Tactical role-playing
Mode 1 Player
7.4 Lemmings
Developer DMA Design, Sunsoft
Publisher Sunsoft, (eu) Psygnosis
Release date (us) 1992
(eu) 1992
Genre Puzzle
Mode 1-2 Players
8.2 M.U.S.H.A.
Developer Compile
Publisher Seismic
Release date (us) 1990
Genre Shooter
Mode 1 Player
Marsupilami 5.6
Developer Marsu
Publisher Sega
Release date (us) 1996
(eu) 1995
Genre Platformer
Mode 1 Player
7.3 McDonald’s
Treasure Land Adventure
Developer Treasure
Publisher Sega
Release date (us) July 15, 1993
(eu) March, 1993
Genre platformer
Mode 1 Player
Mega-Lo-Mania 7.1
Developer Sensible Software
Publisher Virgin Interactive
Release date (us) 1992
(eu) April 5, 1993
Genre Strategy
Mode 1 Player
7.3 Megapanel
Developer Namco
Publisher Namco
Release date (jp) November 22, 1990
Genre Puzzle
Mode 1-2 Players
“segaretro.org”
7.6 Mercs
Developer Capcom, Sega
Publisher Capcom
Release date (us) October, 1991
(eu) December, 1991
Genre Shooter
Mode 1 Player
Rarity US: 4 This is the first game that video game designer David
Rarity EU: 2 Jaffe, known for the God of War franchise. worked on.
Monopoly 6.2
Developer Magical
Publisher Parker Brothers
Release date (us) January 25, 1992
Genre Board game
Mode 1-8 Players
“segaretro.org”
NHL 95 • 199
7.3 NHL 95
Developer High Score Product., Double Diamond Sports
Publisher EA Sports
Release date (us) July 4, 1994
(eu) October 27, 1994
Genre Sports
Mode 1-4 Players
7.8 NHL 96
Developer High Score Entertainment
Publisher EA Sports
Release date (us) October 6, 1995
(eu) 1995
Genre Sports
Mode 1-4 Players
NHL 97 7.5
Developer High Score Entertainment
Publisher EA Sports
Release date (us) September 24, 1996
(eu) October 4, 1996
Genre Sports
Mode 1-4 Players
NHL 98 7.8
Developer High Score Entertainment
Publisher EA Sports
Release date (us) 1997
Genre Sports
Mode 1-4 Players
7.2 EA Hockey
Developer Park Place Productions
Publisher Electronic Arts, (jp) Electronic Arts Victor
Release date (eu) August, 1991
Genre Sports
Mode 1-2 Players
Naisu-kun Mini
Developer N/A
Publisher Nagoya Bank
Release date (jp) N/A
N/P Genre Software
Mode 1 Player
“segaretro.org”
202 • Nigel Mansell’s World Championship Racing
Rarity BR: 8
The game was set to receive a physical release in the
US in December 1995, but this never materalised.
No Escape • 203
3.6 No Escape
Developer Bits Corporation
Publisher Psygnosis
Release date (us) 1994
Genre Action-platformer
Mode 1 Player
Onslaught 4.6
Developer Realms, Nextgrand, Code Monkeys Ltd.
Publisher Ballistic
Release date (us) June, 1991
(eu) 1991
Genre Beat’em up
Mode 1 Player
6.4 Osomatsu-kun:
Hachamecha Gekijō
Developer Sega
Publisher Sega
Release date (jp) December 24, 1988
Genre Platformer
Mode 1 Player
“mobygames.com”
6.4 Outlander
Developer Mindscape, Graftgold
Publisher Mindscape
Release date (us) 1992
Genre Action, Racing
Mode 1 Player
7.5 OutRun
Developer Sega AM2, Hertz Co., Ltd.
Publisher Sega
Release date (us) 1991
(eu) October, 1991
Genre Racing
Mode 1 Player
7.1 OutRunners
Developer Sega AM2
Publisher Data East, (jp) Sega
Release date (us) June 14, 1994
Genre Racing
Mode 1-2 Players
P.T.O.: 7.8
Pacific Theater of Operations
Developer Koei
Publisher Koei
Release date (us) 1993
Genre Strategy
Mode 1-2 Players
Pac-Attack 7.1
Developer Namco
Publisher Namco
Release date (us) 1993
(eu) 1993
Genre Puzzle
Mode 1-2 Players
Pac-Man 2: 6.3
The New Adventures
Developer Namco
Publisher Namco Hometek
Release date (us) 1994
Genre Adventure
Mode 1 Player
7.1 Pac-Mania
Developer Namco, Sculptured Software
Publisher Tengen
Release date (us) September, 1991
(eu) 1991
Genre Maze
Mode 1-2 Players
“mobygames.com”
Paperboy 6.4
Developer Atari Games, Motivetime, Arc Developments
Publisher Tengen
Release date (us) February, 1992
(eu) January, 1992
Genre Action
Mode 1-2 Players
Paperboy 2 6.6
Developer Tengen
Publisher Tengen
Release date (us) 1992
(eu) 1992
Genre Action
Mode 1-2 Players
“mobygames.com”
Pelé! 5.3
Developer Radical Entertainment
Publisher Accolade
Release date (us) 1993
(eu) 1993
Genre Sports
Mode 1-2 Players
The first game in the long running golf series was orig-
inally released in 1990 for DOS computers. The Gen-
esis port features 6 professional golfers as playable or
as CPU opponents; Fred Couples, Mark McCumber,
Larry Mize, Joey Sindelar, Craig Stadler, Bruce Li-
etzke.
Rarity US: 2
Rarity EU: 1
Mega placed it at number 10 in their Top Mega Drive
Games of All Time.
6.5 Phelios
Developer Namco
Publisher Namco Hometek
Release date (us) 1990
(eu) December, 1991
Genre Shooter
Mode 1 Player
Pit-Fighter 6.2
Developer Atari Games, Sterling Silver Software
Publisher Tengen
Release date (us) November, 1991
(eu) 1992
Genre Fighting
Mode 1-2 Players
6.7 Pocahontas
Developer Funcom
Publisher Disney Interactive
Release date (us) 1996
(eu) 1996
Genre Platformer
Mode 1 Player
6.9 Populous
Developer Bullfrog Productions
Publisher Electronic Arts, (jp) Sega
Release date (us) August 8, 1990
(eu) December, 1990
Genre Strategy
Mode 1 Player
“mobygames.com”
Powermonger 5.6
Developer Bullfrog Productions, Sprytes
Publisher Electronic Arts, (jp) Electronic Arts Victor
Release date (us) 1993
(eu) January 14, 1994
Genre Strategy
Mode 1 Player
Powerball 7.0
Developer Namco
Publisher Namco Hometek
Release date (us) 1991
Genre Sports
Mode 1-2 Players
6.1 Predator 2
Developer Teeny Weeny Games, Krisalis Software
Publisher Arena Entertainment
Release date (us) 1992
(eu) September, 1992
Genre Action
Mode 1 Player
“segaretro.org”
Psy-O-Blade 6.6
Developer T&E Soft
Publisher Sigma Enterprises
Release date (jp) April 27, 1990
Genre Adventure
Mode 1 Player
7.4 Puggsy
Developer Traveller’s Tales, Krisalis Software
Publisher Psygnosis
Release date (us) 1993
(eu) November 15, 1993
Genre Platformer, Puzzle
Mode 1 Player
8.1 Pulseman
Developer Game Freak
Publisher Sega
Release date (jp) July 22, 1994
Genre Action-platformer
Mode 1 Player
Quackshot 8.0
starring Donald Duck
Developer Sega AM7
Publisher Sega
Release date (us) December 19, 1991
(eu) December, 1991
Genre Platformer
Mode 1 Player
Rampart 6.9
Developer Atari Games, Silicon Sorcery
Publisher Tengen
Release date (us) August, 1992
Genre Strategy
Mode 1-2 Players
Ranger X 8.2
Developer Gau Entertainment, Cube
Publisher Sega
Release date (us) 1993
(eu) July, 1993
Genre Run ‘n` gun
Mode 1 Player
Rent-A-Hero 7.1
Developer Sega AM2
Publisher Sega
Release date (jp) September 20, 1991
Genre Action role-playing
Mode 1 Player
Revolution X 4.9
Developer Midway Games, Rage Software
Publisher Acclaim Entertainment
Release date (us) 1995
(eu) 1995
Genre Shooter
Mode 1-2 Players
6.4 Risk
Developer Sculptured Software
Publisher Parker Brothers
Release date (us) April 2, 1994
Genre Board game
Mode 1-6 Players
8.5 Ristar
Developer Sonic Team, Sega AM7
Publisher Sega
Release date (us) February 16, 1995
(eu) February 18, 1995
Genre Platformer
Mode 1 Player
For the most part, this entry is separate from the earlier
games. Races now take place across the world, each
level featuring five of seven total locales: Brazil, the
United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Kenya, Australia,
and Japan. In addition to the now standard fifteen
bikes, four part upgrades are available for each. Eight
Rarity US: 4 weapons are available, and this game introduces the
Rarity EU: 3 player’s ability to hold on to weapons between races.
RoboCop 3 • 241
5.2 RoadBlasters
Developer Atari Games, Sterling Silver Software
Publisher Tengen
Release date (us) August, 1991
Genre Racing
Mode 1 Player
4.7 RoboCop 3
Developer Ocean Software, Eden Entert., Krisalis Soft.
Publisher Flying Edge
Release date (us) 1993
(eu) 1993
Genre Action-platformer
Mode 1 Player
This was the official game of the 1995 IRB Rugby Un-
ion World Cup in South Africa. Featuring all 20 inter-
national teams that took part in the World Cup includ-
ing the All Blacks of New Zealand and the Springboks
of South Africa, as well as an EA All Stars team and a
few other minor rugby nations. The game shares a lot
with EA Sports’ early FIFA titles. It uses an isometric Rarity US: 2
perspective and a timed gauge for place kicks. Rarity EU: 2
246 • Saint Sword
Sagaia 7.9
Developer Taito
Publisher Taito
Release date (us) November 15, 1991
Genre Shooter
Mode 1 Player
8.2 Shadowrun
Developer FASA
Publisher Sega
Release date (us) 1994
Genre Action role-playing
Mode 1 Player
4.3 Shaq Fu
Developer Delphine Software
Publisher Electronic Arts
Release date (us) 1994
(eu) October 28, 1994
Genre Fighting
Mode 1-2 Players
Shi-Kin-Jou 7.3
Developer Scap Trust, Sunsoft
Publisher Sunsoft
Release date (jp) April 27, 1991
Genre Puzzle
Mode 1 Player
7.5 Skitchin’
Developer Electronic Arts
Publisher Electronic Arts
Release date (us) 1994
(eu) March, 1994
Genre Racing
Mode 1-2 Players
Rarity EU: 3
7.0 Socket
Developer Vic Tokai
Publisher Vic Tokai
Release date (us) August 17, 1993
Genre Platformer
Mode 1 Player
6.9 Sol-Deace
Developer Wolf Team
Publisher Renovation Products
Release date (us) April, 1992
Genre Shooter
Mode 1 Player
Sorcerian 6.7
Developer Nihon Falcom, Sega AM6
Publisher Sega
Release date (jp) February 24, 1990
Genre Role-playing
Mode 1 Player
7.7 Sparkster
Developer Konami
Publisher Konami
Release date (us) February 22, 1994
(eu) May 8, 1994
Genre Platformer
Mode 1 Player
6.9 Speedball 2
Developer The Bitmap Brothers
Publisher Arena Entertainment
Release date (us) December, 1991
(eu) October, 1992
Genre Sports
Mode 1-2 Players
Spider-Man: 6.0
The Animated Series
Developer Western Technologies
Publisher Acclaim Entertainment
Release date (us) 1995
(eu) 1995
Genre Action-platformer
Mode 1 Player
Spirou 5.4
Developer Infogrames
Publisher Infogrames
Release date (eu) July, 1995
Genre Platformer
Mode 1 Player
Splatterhouse 2 7.1
Developer Namco
Publisher Namco
Release date (us) July, 1992
(eu) October 8, 1992
Genre Beat-’em-up
Mode 1 Player
Splatterhouse 3 7.9
Developer Namco
Publisher Namco
Release date (us) June, 1993
Genre Beat-’em-up
Mode 1 Player
Starflight 8.1
Developer Binary Systems
Publisher Electronic Arts
Release date (us) October 7, 1991
(eu) November, 1991
Genre Adventure, Role-playing
Mode 1 Player
Stargate 6.2
Developer Probe Entertainment
Publisher Acclaim Entertainment
Release date (us) 1994
(eu) 1994
Genre Action-platformer
Mode 1 Player
4.4 Stormlord
Developer Hewson
Publisher Razorsoft
Release date (us) 1990
Genre Platformer
Mode 1 Player
Strider 7.4
Developer Sega
Publisher Sega
Release date (us) 1990
(eu) May, 1991
Genre Action-Platformer
Mode 1 Player
Striker 7.2
Developer Rage Software
Publisher Sega
Release date (eu) 1995
Genre Sports
Mode 1-2 Players
Rarity EU: 5
The game include over 340 local and national teams
(over five times the amount seen in Ultimate Soccer).
Summer Challenge • 277
7.1 Sub-Terrania
Developer Zyrinx
Publisher Sega
Release date (us) 1994
(eu) May, 1994
Genre Shooter
Mode 1 Player
The Sega Mega Drive port of the game included the full
arcade game, and an additional original mode, which
allowed players to recruit sponsors and earn money to
buy enhanced components for their bike.
A near perfect port of the game was released for the
Sharp X68000 computer in Japan in the same year.
Rarity US: 3
Rarity EU: 2
280 • Super High Impact
Sansan
Developer Synergistic
Publisher Mindscape
Release date (jp) 1994
Genre Board game
Mode 1-2 Players
“segaretro.org”
Super Volleyball • 285
“mobygames.com”
5.5 Superman
Developer Sunsoft
Publisher Sunsoft
Release date (us) December, 1992
(eu) 1992
Genre Action-platformer
Mode 1 Player
“mobygames.com”
6.7 Syndicate
Developer Bullfrog Productions
Publisher Electronic Arts
Release date (us) 1994
(eu) January, 1995
Genre Strategy
Mode 1 Player
Taiheiki 7.7
Developer Tose Software
Publisher Sega
Release date (jp) December 13, 1991
Genre Strategy
Mode 1 Player
6.2 TaleSpin
Developer Sega InterActive
Publisher Sega
Release date (us) November, 1992
(eu) 1992
Genre Platformer
Mode 1-2 Players
Taz-Mania 6.1
Developer Recreational Brainware, Nu Romantic Product.
Publisher Sega
Release date (us) July, 1992
(eu) July, 1992
Genre Platformer
Mode 1 Player
6.0 Technoclash
Developer Zono, BlueSky Soft., Nu Romantic Product.
Publisher Electronic Arts
Release date (us) August, 1993
(eu) 1993
Genre Action role-playing
Mode 1 Player
“mobygames.com”
6.6 Tetris
Developer Sanritsu Denki
Publisher Sega
Release date (jp) 1989
Genre Puzzle
Mode 1-2 Players
5.9 ThunderFox
Developer Taito, Aisystem Tokyo
Publisher Taito
Release date (us) 1991
Genre Beat-’em-up
Mode 1 Player
Tel-Tel Stadium
Developer Sunsoft
Publisher Sunsoft
Release date (jp) October 21, 1990
Genre Sports
Mode 1 Player
6.9 Tinhead
Developer MicroProse
Publisher Ballistic, (rerelease) Spectrum HoloByte
Release date (us) 1993
Genre Platformer
Mode 1 Player
Rarity EU: 5
300 • Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster’s Hidden Treasure
Top Pro Golf, just like its sequel, is a no-frills golf sim-
ulator. The game plays just like its successor and offers
one fictional course, several golfers to choose from,
stroke and match play against the computer or a friend,
and a tournament mode for two players.
“mobygames.com”
Rarity EU: 4
Options include the usual in the genre: half length
(3,5,10,20 and 45 minutes), weather conditions, ref-
eree strictness, tie decision and sound.
“mobygames.com”
3.6 Toys
Developer Imagineering
Publisher Absolute Entertainment
Release date (us) June, 1993
(eu) 1993
Genre Action
Mode 1 Player
5.9 Traysia
Developer Riot
Publisher Renovation Products, (jp) Telenet Japan
Release date (us) April, 1992
Genre Role-playing
Mode 1 Player
7.6 Truxton
Developer Toaplan
Publisher Sega
Release date (us) January, 1990
(eu) November, 1990
Genre Shooter
Mode 1 Player
Turma da Mônica
na Terra dos Monstros
Developer Westone, Sega, Tectoy
Publisher Tectoy
Release date (br) 1994
Genre Action-platformer
Mode 1 Player
3.9 Ultraman
Developer Tsuburaya
Publisher Ma-Ba
Release date (jp) April 9, 1993
Genre Fighting
Mode 1 Player
In the first game of the series, set in the early 16th cen-
tury, the player assumes the role of Leon Franco, the
young, ambitious son of a noble family fallen on hard
times in Portugal. The goal of the game is to restore
the family’s former glory and achieve Leon’s dreams.
Discovering ports and defeating other merchants and
pirates in sea battles, increases Leon’s fame. With in-
Rarity US: 5 creased fame, Leon can complete tasks for the King of
Portugal and gain higher titles of nobility.
“mobygames.com”
Urban Strike • 315
Valis 7.2
Developer Riot, Triad
Publisher Renovation Products, (jp) Telenet Japan
Release date (us) December, 1991
Genre Platformer, Action role-playing
Mode 1 Player
7.8 Vectorman
Developer BlueSky Software
Publisher Sega
Release date (us) October 24, 1995
(eu) November 30, 1995
Genre Action-platformer
Mode 1 Player
Vectorman 2 7.7
Developer BlueSky Software
Publisher Sega
Release date (us) November, 1996
Genre Action-platformer
Mode 1 Player
Venom/Spider-Man: 6.5
Separation Anxiety
Developer Software Creations
Publisher Acclaim Entertainment
Release date (us) 1995
(eu) 1995
Genre Beat ‘em up
Mode 1-2 Players
Verytex 7.0
Developer ISCO, Opera House
Publisher Asmik
Release date (us) April 5, 1991
Genre Shooter
Mode 1 Player
6.4 Viewpoint
Developer Nexus Interact
Publisher Sammy
Release date (us) November, 1994
Genre Shooter
Mode 1-2 Players
5.8 VR Troopers
Developer Syrox Developments
Publisher Sega
Release date (us) 1995
(eu) November, 1995
Genre Fighting
Mode 1-2 Players
6.6 Wardner
Developer Toaplan, Visco Corporation
Publisher Mentrix Software, (jp) Visco Corporation
Release date (us) May, 1991
Genre Platformer
Mode 1 Player
6.4 Warlock
Developer Realtime Associates, Trimark Interactive
Publisher Acclaim Entertainment
Release date (us) September, 1995
(eu) March, 1995
Genre Platformer
Mode 1 Player
5.2 WarpSpeed
Developer Accolade
Publisher Accolade
Release date (us) 1993
(eu) 1993
Genre Shooter, Simulation
Mode 1 Player
8.2 Warsong
Developer NCS, Cube
Publisher Treco, (jp9 Masaya
Release date (us) March, 1992
Genre Tactical role-playing
Mode 1 Player
Weaponlord 7.2
Developer Visual Concepts
Publisher Namco Hometek
Release date (us) 1995
Genre Fighting
Mode 1-2 Players
5.6 Wimbledon
Championship Tennis
Developer SIMS
Publisher Sega, (us) Sega Sports
Release date (us) 1993
(eu) 1993
Genre Sports
Mode 1-4 Players
Wiz’n’Liz 7.4
Developer Raising Hell Productions, Krisalis Software
Publisher Psygnosis
Release date (us) 1993
(eu) November 15, 1993
Genre Platformer
Mode 1-2 Players
Wolfchild 6.2
Developer Core Design, Krisalis Software
Publisher JVC
Release date (us) March, 1993
Genre Action-Platformer
Mode 1 Player
Rarity US: 5
The player must guide Saul through five levels, nego-
tiating platforms and shooting various monsters, the
result of Chimera experiments.
Wonder Library
Developer Victor Entertainment
Publisher Victor Entertainment
Release date (jp) 1993
Genre Edutainment
Mode 1 Player
Wonder MIDI
Developer Victor
Publisher Victor
Release date (jp) 1992
N/P Genre Software
Mode 1 Player
“segaretro.org”
334 • World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck
“mobygames.com”
Worms 6.3
Developer Team17, East Point Software
Publisher Ocean Software
Release date (eu) August 8, 1996
Genre Strategy
Mode 1-4 Players
X-Men 7.0
Developer Western Technologies
Publisher Sega
Release date (us) March, 1993
(eu) May, 1993
Genre Action-platformer
Mode 1-2 Players
3.8 X-Perts
Developer Abalone Entertainment
Publisher Deep Water
Release date (us) 1996
Genre Beat ‘em up
Mode 1 Player
Rarity EU: 5
The player must navigate through various climate
zones (including tundra, swamps, and grasslands) in
order to retrieve picnic baskets.
Zool 6.2
Developer Gremlin Graphics
Publisher GameTek, (eu) Electronic Arts
Release date (us) 1993
(eu) December 10, 1993
Genre Platformer
Mode 1 Player
Zoom! 6.1
Developer Discovery Soft., Cyclone Syst., Sigma Pro-Tech
Publisher Sega
Release date (us) January, 1990
(eu) 1990
Genre Puzzle
Mode 1-2 Players
Zoop 5.7
Developer Hookstone, Panelcomp
Publisher Viacom New Media
Release date (us) June 1, 1995
(eu) October 28, 1995
Genre Puzzle
Mode 1 Player
MEGANET
Sega Meganet, also known as the Net Work System, was an online service for the Mega Drive in Japan. Utiliz-
ing dial-up Internet access, Meganet was Sega’s first online multiplayer gaming service, and functioned on a
pay to play basis. The system functioned through the use of a peripheral called the Mega Modem and offered
several unique titles that could be downloaded, and a few could be played competitively with friends. In addi-
tion, it shared technology and equipment with more serious services such as the Mega Anser, used for banking
purposes. Though the system was announced for North America under the rebranded name “Tele-Genesis”, it
was never released for that region.
The Meganet service utilized its own library of titles, independent of the Genesis library. Most of these games
never received a cartridge release; however, Columns, Flicky, Fatal Labyrinth, Forbidden City, and Teddy Boy
Blues each later saw cartridge versions. Several Meganet games would also later appear in Game no Kanzume
vol. 2, released for the Mega-CD exclusively in Japan. Most games for the service were small, at around
128kB per game, due to the limits of Internet connection speeds at the time. Downloads were estimated to
take about five to eight minutes to complete. All of the Meganet games were available through the Sega Game
Library, accessed through the Meganet modem. Due to issues with long-distance charges through the use of
telephone lines, as well as seconds of lag time between commands, only two games featured competitive play:
Tel-Tel Stadium and Tel-Tel Mahjong, with the remainder of the games available for single players via down-
load. Due to Sega’s reluctance to commit to releasing the service in North America, third-party developers
in that region were unwilling to invest in developing games specifically for Meganet. This resulted in a low
number of titles created for the service.
3.5 16t
Developer Sega
Publisher Sega
Release date (jp) 1991
Genre Action
“segaretro.org”
352 • Meganet
“mobygames.com”
Sega Channel • 353
Sega Channel was an online game service developed by Sega for the Sega Genesis, serving as a content de-
livery system. In April 1993, Sega announced the Sega Channel service, which would utilize cable television
services to deliver content. National testing in the United States for the service began in June, and deployment
across the United States began in December, with a complete release in North America in 1994. By June 1994,
Sega Channel had gained a total of 21 cable companies signed up to carry the service. Fees in the United States
for the service varied depending on location, but were approximately US$15 monthly, plus a $25 activation
fee, which included the adapter. During the planning stages of the service, Sega looked to capitalize on the
rental market, which had seen some success with the Sega CD being rented through Blockbuster, Inc., and was
looking to base the service’s offering of games and demos to help sell more cartridges.
In early 1995, Sega CEO Hayao Nakayama decided to end development on
the Sega Genesis and its add-ons, the Sega CD and Sega 32X. This decision
was made to support the Sega Saturn, which had been released in Japan al-
ready. This placed the release of the Sega Channel right at the height of the
Genesis’ decline from the market. At its peak, Sega Channel had over 250,000
subscribers, but by 1997, the number of subscribers had dropped to 230,000,
two years after Nakayama made the decision to shift focus from the Genesis
to the Saturn. Though Sega looked at options to bring the service to PCs, the
service was eventually discontinued by July 31, 1998.
The Sega Channel service (also known as “Sega On The Line”) hosted up to 50 Genesis games at any one
time. Titles would rotate monthly; however, some updates happened on a weekly basis. Games for the service
included titles developed by Sega, such as Sonic & Knuckles, Eternal Champions, and Space Harrier II; as
well as titles developed by licensees of Sega, such as Bubsy 2 and Aladdin. Some of these games had reduced
content compared to their cartridge release so that they could fit the adapter’s memory, such as Super Street
Fighter II. Sega Channel also hosted games in some regions that would not receive a cartridge release, such as
Pulseman, Mega Man: The Wily Wars, and Alien Soldier, which were hosted on the service in North America.
The service also offered demos of upcoming games, such as Primal Rage. Though games and demos rotated
on a regular basis, categories into which games were placed remained static and did not change. With parental
controls in mind, all games for the service received a rating from the Videogame Rating Council. The service
also contained a lockout system which would allow parents to set a passcode in order to access mature rated
content.
In addition to games and demos, Sega Channel also hosted other features. Cheat codes were directly accessible
from the network, as well as game hints. The service also hosted contests, such as a promotion with Electronic
Arts’ Triple Play ‘96, and a 1995 event where players who completed Primal Rage during a brief 24-hour peri-
od where the full game was accessible were given a phone number to call, making them eligible to win prizes.
During its lifetime, Sega Channel won one of Popular Science’s “Best of What’s New” award for the year
1994. Likewise, in August 1995, a survey conducted by Sports Illustrated found that children between 9 and
13 years old were five times more likely to subscribe to Sega Channel than to purchase a Sega Saturn or the
upcoming Nintendo 64 or PlayStation. The service would go on to garner as many as 250,000 subscribers;
however, Sega had anticipated having over one million subscribers by the end of its first year, and had made
the service available to over 20 million households.
Retrospective reception of Sega Channel praises its innovation and role in the development of online gaming,
but criticizes its high subscription fees and timing into the market. IGN writer Adam Redsell notes how Sega
Channel caused many cable companies to clean their broadcast signal and its role in the development of high-
speed internet, stating “...the very fact that you’re enjoying broadband internet right now could well be thanks
to SEGA.”
354 • Sega Channel
The Chessmaster
Developer The Software Toolworks
Publisher Sega
Release date (us) N/A
Genre Board game
Gotron
Developer N/A
Publisher N/A
Release date N/A
Genre N/A
No information found...
Klondike
Developer N/A
Publisher N/A
Release date N/A
Genre N/A
Earlier Sega Mega Drive games shipped on smaller sized ROM cartridges, were selling at a vastly reduced
price several years down the line and were often showing their age. Rather than waste money on producing
cartridges for out of date classics, Sega thought it was a better option to compile several of these games onto
one cartridge, as the decreasing price of the technology allowed Sega to make a healthy profit in doing so. This
does not apply so much to third party games, such as Arcade Classics or Midway Presents Arcade’s Greatest
Hits - they had different agendas but still class as compilations.
The majority of Mega Drive game compilations were bundled with consoles, meaning if you bought a Mega
Drive in 1995, you’d be given several games straight away to get you started. As many of these cartridges
were not sold separately, they are often increasingly more rare than the stand-alone releases of the games they
contain. This is made worse by the fact that some compilations turned up well into the Mega Drive’s twilight
years - focus was instead on the fifth generation of video game consoles and so many compilations went sim-
ply unnoticed.
8.6 6-Pak
Developer Sega
Publisher Sega
Release date (us) 1996
Genre Compilation
Mode xxx
Rarity EU: 4
Rarity EU: 3
Double Hits:
Micro Machines/Psycho Pinball
Developer Codemasters
Publisher Codemasters
Release date (eu) 1996
Mode 1 Player
OziSoft was an Australian-based company which specialised in video games. It was formed in 1982 by Mark
Dyne and Kevin Bermeister, and was responsble for the manufacturing and distribution of Sega products in
Australia and New Zealand. OziSoft is now owned by Namco Bandai Holdings.
Exchange rates and production costs meant that the price of new Sega Mega Drive games in 1994 had begun
to reach the level at which the console was sold back in 1990. The situation was untennable, so Sega OziSoft
targeted the rental market.
Later on in the life of the Sega Megadrive, Ozisoft released several Master System and Megadrive games in
“Double Pack” packaging, featuring two titles in a VHS styled plastic box, a cardboard inner section, and
their manuals. As Sega Ozisoft published several titles outside of Sega games, these double packs sometimes
contained games from a variety of publishers.
“segaretro.org”
Double Pack:
Aladdin and Ranger X
Publisher Sega, OziSoft
Release date (au) N/A
Mode 1 Player
Double Pack:
Bubsy and Jewel Master
Publisher Sega, OziSoft
Release date (au) N/A
Mode 1 Player
Rarity EU: 7
Double Pack:
Hulk and Spiderman
Publisher Sega, OziSoft
Release date (au) N/A
Mode 1 Player
Double Pack:
Micro Machines and F1
Publisher Sega, OziSoft
Release date (au) N/A
Mode 1 Player
Rarity EU: 7
Double Pack:
Quackshot and Battletoads
Publisher Sega, OziSoft
Release date (au) N/A
Mode 1 Player
Rarity EU: 7
Rarity EU: 7
Game Compilations • 365
Double Pack:
Sonic 3 and Mega Games 1
Publisher Sega, OziSoft
Release date (au) N/A
Mode 1 Player
Double Pack:
X-Men and Space Harrier 2
Publisher Sega, OziSoft
Release date (au) N/A
Mode 1 Player
Rarity EU: 1
The PAL version was originally launched as a stand-
alone release, but was later bundled with Mega Drive
consoles during 1993.
Rarity EU: 1
Game Compilations • 367
Rarity EU: 2
Mega Games 10
Publisher Tectoy
Release date (br) 1997
Mode 1 Player
Rarity BR: 5
Sport Games
Developer TecToy
Publisher TecToy
Release date (br) May, 1998
Mode 1-2 Players
Rarity BR: 5
370 • Game Compilations
Telstar Electronic Studios began operations in 1993 in Surrey, England. Initially they compiled ‘two for the
price of one’ packs of other games publishers before getting the UK publishing rights to 7th Guest and Dune.
After this they set up their own development studios, with the aim to, “develop innovative interactive titles,
with the emphasis placed on entertainment.” Many of their budget-priced games and game packs were pub-
lished under their Telstar Fun and Games label.
Unfortunately none of their games sold particularly well, and by the start of 1999 Telstar had debts of over
£10million. In May the company made a ‘publishing deal’ with Take 2 Interactive, which essentially gave
Take 2 complete control over Telstar.
“mobygames.com”
Unlicensed Games
“segaretro.org”
In the razor-and-blade model of business under which the video game industry operates, profit is maximized
by continued sale of razorblades (in this case, games) to make up for a lack of sales of the razor itself (the
consoles). To ensure the console manufacturer, and not only individual developers, get this profit, manufac-
turers give development licenses to developers who can afford them to produce games; in some cases, these
licensees also get the right to manufacturer the game media. Furthermore, the North American video game
market crash of 1983 sent a clear message to console manufacturers — that only select companies get the right
to make games so as to not overflow the market with poor quality games.
The Sega Mega Drive’s sole means of unlicensed games protection, TMSS, failed to hold in the American
courts, and for whatever reason Sega didn’t try to enforce it elsewhere. Consequently, a number of unlicensed
Mega Drive games appeared over the years, primarily in the Chinese market (though some publishers brought
some of the Chinese homebrew overseas and though Accolade continued to make some of its later releases
unlicensed). In more recent times, several groups of developers have banded together and an active develop-
ment community exists today.
Sega v. Accolade
SEGA v. Accolade is the name of a court case between Sega Enterprises Ltd. and Accolade, Inc., which took
place in the early 1990s.
The case in question stems from the nature of the console video game market. Hardware companies often
sell their systems at a loss, and rely on other revenue streams such as in this case, game licensing. Sega was
attempting to “lock out” game companies from making Mega Drive games unless they paid Sega a fee (os-
tensibly to maintain a consistent level of quality of games for their system) by using the TradeMark Security
System.
This strategy was originally invented by Nintendo when they launched the Nintendo Entertainment System in
North America. It was one of several precautions Nintendo took to ensure the video game crash of 1983 would
not re-occur. In previous generations, this restriction was not put in place, and so companies could develop and
publish software for any system on the market without permission.
This led to a market which was oversaturated with titles, with expensive blockbuster games being masked
by hoards of poorly programmed ones. Rival companies were able to release flawed software on their com-
petitors’ systems, giving the impression that one console was “worse” than another. It also meant there was
a distinct lack of quality control, with riskier games, violent or sexual in nature potentially being available to
children.
Nintendo created the “Nintendo Seal of Quality”, to assure consumers that software was above a certain qual-
ity standard. Sega would copy this, with the Sega Seal of Quality. Their strategy, like Nintendo’s, was to make
the hardware reject any cartridge that did not include a Sega trademark. If an unlicensed company included
this trademark in their game, Sega could sue the company for trademark infringement.
Sega won an initial injunction, forcing Accolade to remove all Mega Drive products from store shelves. How-
ever this was short lived, as Accolade won on appeal. The two companies reached an out of court settlement
which allowed Accolade to continue building their own Mega Drive cartridges but as an official licensee.
Though Sega lost this lawsuit, all later Sega systems seemed to incorporate a similar hardware requirement,
as have Nintendo’s, Sony’s and Microsoft’s.
These pages concist of some of the more known unlicensed games released for the Genesis/Mega Drive.
Games not listed here is the many multi-cards, very populare in Russia and Asian countries. Most information
and pictures on these pages are taken from segaretro.org.
Unlicensed Games • 379
“segaretro.org”
A Bug’s Life
Developer X BOY
Publisher X BOY
Release date (tw) 1999
Genre Platformer
Mode 1 Player
Action 52 2.3
Developer FarSight Technologies
Publisher Active Enterprises
Release date (us) 1993
Genre Compilation
Mode 1 Player
Adventurous Boy:
Mao Xian Xiao Zi
Developer Gamute
Publisher Gamute?
Release date (tw) 1998
Genre Shooter
Mode 1 Player
Aladdin II
Developer N/A
Publisher N/A
Release date N/A
Genre Action
Mode 1-2 Players
Bomboy
Developer Gamtec
Publisher Gamtec
Release date (tw) 1993
Genre Action
Mode 1 Player
“segaretro.org”
Unlicensed Games • 383
7.0 Cascade
Developer Epyx, Super Fighter Team
Publisher Super Fighter Team
Release date (w) December 24, 2015
Genre Puzzle
Mode 1-2 Players
Chao Ji Da Fu Weng
Developer Gamtec?
Publisher N/A
Release date (tw) 1994
Genre Board game
Mode 1 Player
N/P
384 • Unlicensed Games
Chao Ji Poker
Developer N/A
Publisher N/A
Release date (tw) N/A
Genre Cards N/P
Mode 1 Player
N/P
Chess
Developer BS Comp
Publisher PADIS
Release date (ru) 1998
Genre Board game
N/P Mode 1-2 Players
Dial Q o Mawase!
Developer N/A
Publisher N/A
Release date (jp) N/A
Genre Board game
Mode 1 Player
N/P
Exodus 6.6
Developer Wisdom Tree
Publisher Wisdom Tree
Release date (us) 1993
Genre Puzzle
Mode 1-2 Players
Frog Feast
Developer Raster Software
Publisher Oldergames
Release date (w) August 20, 2005
N/P Genre Action
Mode 1 Player
Futbol Argentino 96
Developer N/A
Publisher N/A
Release date (ar) N/A
Genre Sports
Mode 1-4 Players
N/P
Futbol Argentino 96 is an unlicensed hack of J. League
Pro Striker 2, which was distributed around Argentina
during the late 1990s.
Futbol Argentino 96 is much the same game as Pro
Striker 2, but contains teams from the Argentinian
Football Association (AFA), presumably without a li-
cense to do so. This made it (and similar SNES hacks)
unusually popular in the country.
Futbol Argentino 98
Developer N/A
Publisher N/A
Release date (ar) N/A
Genre Sports
Mode 1-4 Players
7.1 Hardball!
Developer Accolade
Publisher Ballistic
Release date (us) 1991
(eu) 1991
Genre Sports
Mode 1-2 Players
Harry Potter
Developer KuKzz
Publisher N/A
Release date (ru) 2004
Genre Action
Mode 1 Player
Iraq War 2003 takes place in Iraq during the 2003 Iraq
War. The game was created in Tomsoft Studios by
TommyXie Xi’an, who is a native of China, and the
ROM itself is dated as being made in September 2003.
The player plays as the Iraqi army, which must oppose
the United States Army as they fight to maintain Sadd-
am Hussein’s regime. The introduction starts with the
situation of the war and asks the player to guard Iraq
because it is his holy duty.
Unlicensed Games • 391
Jang Pung 3
Developer Open Corp.
Publisher Sieco, Ltd.
Release date (kr) N/A
Genre Fighting
Mode 1-2 Players
“segaretro.org”
4.5 Long
Developer Songtly
Publisher Jumbo Team
Release date (tw) 1993
Genre Action
Mode 1 Player
Magic Bubble
Developer C&E
Publisher C&E
Release date (tw) 1993
Genre Puzzle
Mode 1-2 Players
“mobygames.com”
Mortal Kombat 5
Developer N/A
Publisher N/A
Release date N/A
Genre Fighting
Mode 1 Player
Pocket Monster
Developer DVS Electronic Co
Publisher DVS Electronic Co
Release date (tw) 2000
Genre Platformer
Mode 1 Player
Pocket Monster II
Developer DVS Electronic Co
Publisher DVS Electronic Co
Release date (tw) 2001
Genre Platformer
Mode 1 Player
“segaretro.org”
Pokemon Stadium
Developer N/A
Publisher SKOB
Release date N/A
Genre Fighting
Mode 1-2 Players
Rockman X3
Developer N/A
Publisher N/A
Release date N/A
Genre Action-platformer
Mode 1 Player
San Guo Yan Yi: Huo Shao Chi Bi, also known as
The Battle of Red Cliffs, is an unlicensed beat-’em-up
game for the Sega Mega Drive released in some un-
known year. The game is an unofficial port of the Sega
Saturn title Tenchi wo Kurau II: Sekiheki no Tatakai.
400 • Unlicensed Games
Shui Hu Zhuan
Developer Chuanpu
Publisher N/A
Release date (tw) 1996
Genre Strategy
Mode 1 Player
Sonic Jam 6
Developer N/A
Publisher N/A
Release date 1998
Genre Platformer
Mode 1 Player
“sonicretro.org”
Soul Blade
Developer N/A
Publisher N/A
Release date (tw) 1997
Genre Fighter
Mode 1-2 Players
N/P
Soul Blade is an unlicensed Sega Mega Drive game
featuring characters from Namco’s Soul franchise
(specifically Soul Edge/Soul Blade). Little is known
about the origin of this game, though a similar game
exists for the SNES and Game Boy Color.
The game is a standard one-on-one fighter.
Taiwan Daheng
Developer C&E Inc.
Publisher C&E Inc.
Release date (tw) 1994
Genre Board game
Mode 1 Player
TC 2000
Developer Miky
Publisher Miky
Release date (ar) 1995
Genre Racing
Mode 1 Player
N/P
TC 2000 is a hacked Super Monaco GP. The game is
based on Argentina’s TC 2000 Championship — which
they did not get a license to use either.
Differences from Super Monaco GP include: The abil-
ity to select one of eight cars to drive. A from-behind
view rather than an in-cockpit view. A rearranged
HUD allowing for “advertisements”. Various removed
or changed screens, and other changes.
Tekken 3 Special
Developer N/A
Publisher N/A
Release date (tw) 1996/7
Genre Fighting
Mode 1-2 Players
Thunderbolt II
Developer Sun Green
Publisher Ming Super Chip
Release date (tw) 1995
Genre Shooter
Mode 1 Player
Truco ‘96
Developer Miky
Publisher Miky
Release date (ar) 1995
Genre Cards
Mode 1 Player
N/P
Truco ‘96 is a virtually unknown Sega Mega Drive un-
licensed tabletop card game originating from an elec-
tronics company Miky situated in Argentina. The game
itself came out sometime between 1995 and 1996; the
company’s website merely says “copyright 1995.”
While the game and graphics appear to be entirely
original, music is stolen from Battle Mania Daiginjou.
The game is an implementation of the South American
card game Truco.
Turrican 5.9
Developer Rainbow Arts, Code Monkeys Ltd.
Publisher Accolade
Release date (us) July, 1991
(eu) September, 1991
Genre Run ‘n` gun
Mode 1 Player
Console Variations
More than a dozen licensed variations of the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive have been released. In addition to mod-
els made by Sega, several alternate models were made by other companies, such as Majesco, AtGames, JVC,
Pioneer Corporation, Amstrad, and Aiwa. A number of bootleg clones were also created during its lifespan.
Listed here are some of the more known, or weird, variations of the Genesis. For more on variation, please
visit segaretro.org.
Mega Drive 2
1993 saw this cost-reduced redesign (known as the Mega Drive II in Europe, and
not explicitly referred to as anything other than “Genesis” in North America), at
22 cm×21.2 cm×5.9 cm, being introduced internationally. One of the major revi-
sions from the original model was the removal of the headphones jack in favor
of stereo output through a redesigned 9-pin A/V port. American and European
models used a momentary switch for power while non-western models used a
left-right switch. Furthermore, the audio mixing circuitry was modified, resulting
in noticeably different quality audio output.
A common myth is that the Mega Drive 2 lacks a Z80 (a 8-bit microprocessor) — the truth is that it lacks a
Zilog Z80. During the Mega Drive’s lifetime, Sega received various off-the-shelf chips from different manu-
facturers, and sometimes would rebrand chips as their own or make them themselves, which is what happened
here (and which is why each Mega Drive has a different manufacturer for its 68000). If the Z80 was missing,
most games would have no sound (or not all sound). In later revisions, the Z80 was integrated into a custom
ASIC which also incorporated the major chips of the system.
“segaretro.org”
Sega Nomad
Manufacturer Sega
The Sega Nomad, codenamed Venus, is a handheld video game console manufac-
tured by Sega. It is a portable Genesis, and Sega’s second handheld system after
the Sega Game Gear. The Nomad shares a similar concept with the semi-portable
Sega Mega Jet, and only saw release in North America.
The Sega Nomad was designed by Sega of America, likely as another attempt to extend the shelf life of the
already successful Sega Genesis. At the time of release, home consumers were geared up for a new generation
of video game consoles, namely the Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation, but with an established game library
of over 600 titles at this point and vastly improved hardware over the competition (mainly Nintendo’s Game
Boy), it was presumed that there was still a place for the Nomad, particularly when Game Gear sales were on
the decline.
It is rumoured that at one stage, the Nomad (or Project Venus as it was still known as) was due to be a true
successor to the Game Gear sporting a touch-screen interface, some years before the concept was pioneered
with the ill-fated Game.com by Tiger Electronics. However, at the time, it was thought that a system utilising
this technology would cost roughly $289 to manufacture, and so the idea was scrapped for a handheld Genesis
instead. Even in this form the Venus project was held back for several months due to its perceived high cost.
The Nomad debuted on North American store shelves in October 1995 for an asking price of US$179. It was
a slow rollout at first, distributed in limited quantities until a wider release in early 1996. Though the hand-
held received praise from critics, sales were sluggish, even after a US$100 price drop in the months which
followed. It was discontinued shortly after. The Nomad never made it to other regions of the world, however
it appears at one stage plans were made to bring it to Europe. It is estimated that in total, roughly one million
Nomad units were sold.
“segaretro.org”
Console Variations • 415
Sega Mega Jet
Manufacturer Sega
The Sega Mega Jet was a handheld game console that was a portable version of
the Sega Mega Drive that was rented for use aboard Japan Air Lines flights and
later made available at retail in 1994. It was only released in Japan.
At the time of its release, many planes in the Japan Air Lines (JAL) fleet had
small LCD televisions installed into the armrests of each seat to entertain pas-
sengers; the Mega Jet was designed to help pass the time during long air flights.
Users were able to bring their own Mega Drive cartridges, however it is reported that JAL stocked a limited
selection of four titles on each flight. Two of the titles known to have been in JAL’s rotation include Ayrton
Senna’s Super Monaco GP II and the original Sonic the Hedgehog.
The Mega Jet is a semi-portable system, meaning that the system and controller are integrated in a single unit,
but it requires an external power supply and does not have its own screen.
The development of this console would later result in the Sega Nomad, which was a portable Sega Genesis
(North American equivalent of the Mega Drive) with a backlit screen, available after in October 1995. The
Nomad was only released in North America.
“segaretro.org”
Wondermega
Manufacturer Sega, JVC/Victor
The Wondermega is a combined Sega Mega Drive and Mega CD which was made
by JVC/Victor and was initially released in 1992. It features a DSP for audio en-
hancement, a MIDI output jack, two microphone inputs and S-video output. In
1993, a redesigned model known as the Wondermega M2 was released, which
dropped several features (including the MIDI output, DSP and motorized disc
door) but added wireless controllers. Victor released the system in the US as the X’Eye, but not in the same
way as they did in Japan. The system never made it to Europe, although several magazines back then had pre-
dicted an official European release.
Like the Mega CD, the Wondermega and X’Eye are compatible with CD+G (CD and Graphics) discs. The
original Wondermega also supported the “Wonder CD” peripheral, which included a full complement of MIDI
jacks (in, out and thru) as well as a music keyboard called the “Piano Player”.
The Wondermega does not work with the 32x add-on as it lacks the Genesis / Megadrive 2 video din con-
nector. The first batch of x’eye consoles work with the 32x add-on although it blocks the door from opening
completely. A second batch of x’eye consoles dropped the Genesis 2 din connector and therefore can’t use the
32x add-on. RGB/SCART works with the x’eye if it has the Genesis 2 video din connector.
“segaretro.org”
CSD-G1M
Manufacturer Aiwa
The Aiwa Mega CD, also known as the Aiwa CSD-G1M, is an Aiwa CD player
which can also play Sega Mega Drive and Mega CD games.
The unit is made up of two components - an Aiwa bookshelf-size CD radio and
a dock which added the Mega Drive connections (apart from sound, which the
main radio unit handled.) Oddly, Aiwa chose not to place the interface between
the two on the sides that would connect, but instead opted to use a connection
cable on the back. This variant of the Mega Drive is one of the rarest made, and
only saw limited release in Japan in 1994.
416 • Console Variations
Sega Multi-Mega
Manufacturer Sega
The Sega Multi-Mega is a special piece of hardware developed by Sega and re-
leased in the early-1990s. It is a Sega Mega Drive, Sega Mega-CD and personal
CD player combined into one unit. The unit was released in North America as the
Sega Genesis CDX as the “Mega Drive” naming scheme was not in use in that
region, and in Brazil it was called the Multi Mega CDX.
As with any home Mega Drive, the unit needs to be plugged into a television in
order for Mega Drive and Mega CD games to be played. It must also be connected
to a power supply to be used in this way, however, as a CD player it can also be run on battery power, as the
unit was also designed to be portable. Due to the Mega Drive additions, the unit is larger and heavier than most
other portable CD players on the market at the time.
The unit features the last version of the Mega CD Bios, v.2.21. Like the Mega CD and the Sega Saturn, it is
compatible with CD+G discs.
New to the Multi-Mega are CD controls seen on the top of the unit. From left to right these functions include;
the open button for the CD lid, seek buttons for the CD player, a small LCD screen in the middle displaying the
current track number (including which audio track it’s currently playing in-game) (or ACCESS when loading
a game), play/pause button, a stop button, and a small blue reset button.
In all cases the Multi-Mega was packaged with a 6-button control pad, a power adaptor, a Red-White-Yellow
style A/V cable (probably an RF cable in Europe). North American bundles included Sega Classics Arcade
Collection (which contains Streets of Rage, Columns, Super Monaco GP, The Revenge of Shinobi and Golden
Axe), Sonic CD and Ecco the Dolphin with the console. In Brazil it was bundled with Night Trap.
The unit did not reach Japan as the Multi-Mega, but instead the design was licensed to Linguaphone, who re-
branded the unit as the Linguaphone Education Gear. Very little is known about this version of the unit, though
it can be assumed it was intended for education purposes.
Production of the Multi-Mega ceased when the Sega 32X hit the market, with Sega announcing that the Multi-
Mega was a novelty item rather than a console designed for the mainstream audience. Multi-Megas were not
designed to be used with the Sega 32X, but are fully compatible. They are also compatible with the Power
Base Converter for Master System titles, and even the original design for the Model 1 will work as the end
section hangs far away from the back of the system.
“segaretro.org”
LaserActive
Manufacturer Pioneer
The LaserActive (or CLD-A100) is a specialist LaserDisc player designed and
manufactured by Pioneer. It was released in Japan and North America 1993.
The LaserActive is notable as unlike other LaserDisc players, it can be extended
to via additional plug-ins known as “PACs”. One such PAC allows the LaserAc-
tive to play Sega Mega Drive and Sega Mega-CD games, as well as a brand new
software format titled “Mega LD” which makes full use of the LaserDisc technology of the system. Other
modules were created to support NEC’s TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine console in a similar manner, 3D glasses
and karaoke discs.
Only a few dozen games were made to take use of both the Sega-based Mega LD and the NEC-based LD-
ROM² formats, making each game relatively rare and sought-after by collectors.
“segaretro.org”
Console Variations • 417
Teradrive
Manufacturer IBM, Sega
The Teradrive is a hybrid between a Sega Mega Drive and a full-featured IBM
286 computer, released to the Japanese market in early 1991. The system is fully
integrated, with both the Mega Drive and PC components existing together on
one motherboard. This sets the Teradrive apart from the only other known PC/
Mega Drive hybrid system, the 386 Amstrad Mega PC, which added Mega Drive
functionality via an ISA expansion card.
Unlike the Mega PC, the Teradrive also allows some degree of interaction between the PC hardware and the
Mega Drive hardware. The only known software to make use of this is a game called “Puzzle Construction”,
which was included with the Teradrive. This program features an editor which allowed a user to design and
run puzzles from the PC. The game appears to make use of the Mega Drive components for sound, and may
also make use of the VDP, but more likely it uses x86 code. Exactly how the x86 code communicates with the
Mega Drive hardware, and the limits of what is possible through this interface, are currently unknown.
It is rumoured that the Teradrive shipped with a software development kit (SDK) for developing Mega Drive
games, although this claim is currently unsupported. No known development software for the Teradrive ex-
ists. This rumour may have originated from misunderstanding or exaggeration of the features provided by the
bundled “Puzzle Construction” software.
The Teradrive includes an expansion connector on the top of the unit, which provides the same functionality
as the one on the Mega Drive. Although no Mega CD unit was ever released for the Teradrive, at least two
prototype units were developed. Sega of Japan reportedly planned to release the Mega CD expansion for the
Teradrive based on the top-loading design of the Mega CD II, but poor sales of the Teradrive caused the devel-
opment to be cancelled before designs left the prototype stage, and Sega instead focused on the development
of the Sega Saturn.
“segaretro.org”
Amstrad Mega PC
Manufacturer Amstrad
The Amstrad Mega PC is a special Amstrad computer with the added features
of a Sega Mega Drive. It was initially released in 1993 in PAL regions for the
expensive price of £999.99 (later £599.99). It is unrelated to the Sega Teradrive,
though the two machines share similar specifications as the computer portion is
also powered by an Intel 80386sx processor.
The Mega PC can also play any Japanese and/or US-localized game as well as unlicensed games. Althrough
the video always originates from the 15-pin VGA connector, the video timings differ between Mega Drive
mode and PC mode. The original monitor as a Multisync VGA monitor, which accepted 15Khz video from the
Mega Drive portion and the 31Khz signal from the onboard VGA.
2 ISA connectors from the ISA riser-card are 16 bit, although one is reserved for the Mega Drive itself. The
Mega Drive connection to the ISA bus is 8Bit though. The only connection between the Mega Drive and the
PC itself is the Yamaha FM sound chip that can be used as an Adlib-compatible soundcard, including the 15-
pin connector for a traditional analogue joystick or MIDI interface. Whether or not the Mega Drive can make
use of this connector is unknown. One can change the IRQ of the card between IRQ2/3/5, though an Adlib
card normally doesn’t make use of it. Original Adlib cards and clones always use a fixed IRQ and port address.
Though a rare collector’s item now, at the time of release the machine was unsuccessful due to its high retail
price (made worse by the fact in 1993 a 386 processor was considered outdated).
“segaretro.org”
418 • Console Variations
Genesis 3
Manufacturer Majesco
The Genesis 3 console is a bargain-basement model of the Sega Mega Drive that
was sold under license by Majesco in 1998. It is often derisively called “the hock-
ey puck” due to its rather squat appearance and limited capabilities (as compared
to earlier models). No official variants of the Genesis 3 were released outside of
North America, as Majesco did not have the rights to sell Sega consoles outside
that region. It originally retailed at $49.95, though the price quickly dropped to as
low as $19.99.
The Genesis 3 lacks the expansion port of its predecessors; hence, the Sega Mega-CD is incompatible with
it. The vast majority of Mega Drive games work with the Genesis 3. The few things that do not work involve
hardware attachments like the Sega 32X and the Master System Converter and specific games that use external
processors such as Virtua Racing. However, it has been shown that with minimal modification, a Genesis 3 can
use the 32X, Virtua Racing, and the Master System Converter.
The redesigned console is extremely light in comparison to its earlier counterparts. With two gamepads
plugged in the console will be outweighed so greater care must be taken when used.
A bug in the console’s I/O controller that prevented the “TAS” instruction from working correctly was fixed in
the Genesis 3. However, some games that incorrectly used this instruction, such as Gargoyles, will no longer
run correctly, since they expected the instruction to do nothing. The cartridge slot on the Genesis 3 is a slightly
different shape than that of previous versions, which allows Japanese Mega Drive games to be played on the
system, assuming that the games did not check the system’s region code itself.
The console also shipped with six button controllers, the only official North American release to do so. Two
official bundles of the system are known to exist - one which has one control pad, and another with two.
Mega Drive 4
Manufacturer Tectoy
The Mega Drive 4 (also branded as the Mega Drive 4 Guitar
Idol) is a Mega Drive “console on a chip” which was released
by Brazilian company Tectoy in October 2009 as a follow-up
to the Mega Drive 3. The first version had 87 built-in games,
some of which are not Mega Drive titles specifically, and does
not have a cartridge slot for playing other games. It also comes
with two control pads which attach to the console via two DE-9 ports, as they would in a traditional Mega
Drive, plus a guitar accessory for playing the Guitar Idol game, which is overtly based upon the Guitar Hero
games.
There was a second version released in 2010, that had 100 games instead of 87, had a SD Card slot added, was
able to play MP3 and got the colorful control pads replaced by simpler ones. The SD Card slot seems to be
only used to play MP3 unfortunately.
“segaretro.org”
Mega Drive 4
Manufacturer Simba’s Video Games
Another console named Sega Mega Drive 4, is the Mega Drive clone by Simba.
Despite clearly saying “SEGA” on the underside of the console, the machine is,
in fact, not endorsed by Sega in the slightest. It is also strikingly similar to a PAL
Sega Mega Drive II, aside from the red dust cover shared by the Japanese version
The console came with two six button controllers, which too can be identified as
fakes due to the “16 BIT” lettering on the front.
Console Variations • 419
Arcade Classic
Manufacturer AtGames
The Arcade Classic is a Sega Mega Drive console on a chip
manufactured by AtGames. Though not the first console by
AtGames to hit the market, the Arcade Classic is perhaps the
most “famous” to date, due to its ability to play Sega Mega
Drive cartridges through a built-in cartridge slot.
Shipping with the console, as is common with AtGames products, is the Firecore operating system with a
number of built-in Mega Drive games. The precise list of games varies between products and distributors -
across the world 5, 15, 18, 20, 60 and 80 game variants of the Arcade Classic have been spotted, however the
number is often expanded by the inclusion of original, non-Mega Drive games, believed to have originated
from AtGames themselves at some point during the 2000s.
As the system is reliant on emulation, the system is region free, however some games exhibit graphical issues
and may not boot at all. Poor audio emulation leads to significant sound problems in many games - a common
issue in many consoles of this nature. A lack of expansion ports mean the system is incompatible with add-ons
such as the Sega Mega-CD and Sega 32X.
“segaretro.org”
Simba’s 268
Manufacturer Simba’s Video Games
The Simba’s 268 is a Sega Mega Drive clone console manufactured by Simba.
This particular model is heavily inspired by the slim version of the Sony PlaySta-
tion. and is a “successor” of sorts to the Simba’s 168.
Though it is the only Sega clone console that Simba have made that doesn’t in-
clude the term “Mega Drive”, it is still a Mega Drive clone, and shares similar six
button controllers to the Mega Drive Extreme and Mega Drive V.
“segaretro.org”
Sega Zone
The Sega Zone (or Zone Sega as the box calls it) is a plug-in-and-play video game
console first released in 2010. The console is built suspiciously like the Wii, hav-
ing wireless controllers that look similar to television remotes and that respond to
movement. It retails at £50 in the UK.
The Sega Zone is built off a similar console called the “Zone 40” (with 40 games)
which in turn was built off the “Zone Wireless Gaming Console” (with 7 games).
With the Sega Zone there are 50 built in games, 20 of which are Sega Mega Drive
titles, 14 are “arcade games” and 16 are “Interactive Sports games” which make
use of the motion control technology.
“segaretro.org”
Hamy SD
Manufacturer Hamy
The Hamy SD is an unlicensed Sega Mega Drive clone console sold in Russia.
It is effectively a Genesis 3 with an accompanying SD card slot, meaning both
traditional Mega Drive cartridges and downloaded ROMs can be played on the
system. The Hamy SD comes in three flavours - black, red and blue. There is also
support for wireless controllers.
“segaretro.org”
420 • Console Variations
RetroN 3
Manufacturer Hyperkin
The RetroN 3 is a clone console manufactured by Hyperkin, which first ap-
peared on the market in 2009. Taking advantage of expired patents, it com-
bines an NES, an SNES, and a Sega Mega Drive console into a single unit.
It followed the RetroN 1 (a NES clone) and the C2 gaming system (a NES/
SNES clone). It currently retails for $69.99 in North America, and is avail-
able in red and black variations.
Though the system comes bundled with two wireless controllers, it is notable for being the first clone system
to allow all three types of console controller (NES, SNES and MD) to be inserted into the unit and used. How-
ever, there is a switch to select which console to play, and each type of controller maps to their specific console
(so it isn’t possible to play NES or SNES games with a Mega Drive controller). The system is also compatible
with more games than previous attempts, such as the rival Yobo FC3 Plus.
“segaretro.org”
Mega 3
Manufacturer Level Up
The Sega Mega 3 is an unlicensed Sega Mega Drive clone console distributed
in South America. It looks and feels much like a Genesis 3; however, it does not
have the same build quality or the official endorsement of Sega. The package
claims the console is officially licensed by Sega, as indicated by the presence of
Sega’s Seal of Quality.
Even the box contains stolen artwork, and claims the console has been distributed by Majesco. It also contains
the CE mark, meaning it has apparently met the standards of the European Union, despite not being sold in
Europe. Some units are made by a company called Level Up, related to gaming and widely known in South
America.
Some models come with a pirate version of a game, although the box claims cartridges are not included. Ad-
ditionally, some models, primarily those named FP-16 consoles, also contain several switches that allow the
user to set the console’s region code.
“segaretro.org”
Console Variations • 421
Arcade Nano Series
Manufacturer Arcade Nano Series
The Arcade Nano Series is a collection of RCA jack “Mega Drive-on-a-chip”
units manufactured by AtGames. The console itself is built into a very small joy-
stick that can be carried on a keychain or keyring using the strap attached to it.
The entire console is powered by only one AAA battery (sometimes included),
and it comes in an assortment of seven different variations, each with its own
color scheme and game selection. Each package contains only the console (which
doubles as the controller) and a mini-USB mono A/V output cable. Like many
other newer clones, they are officially licensed by Sega.
“segaretro.org”
Arcade Ultimate
Manufacturer Sega Toys
The Arcade Legends Street Fighter II’: Special Champion Edition, known as the
Mega Drive Play TV 3 in Japan, is a Sega Mega Drive “console on a chip” de-
signed and manufactured by Sega Toys. In the West it was distributed by Radica.
The system contains Street Fighter II’: Special Champion Edition and the Mega
Drive version of Ghouls’n Ghosts built-in. It also comes with two controllers.
“segaretro.org”
RetroGen
Manufacturer AtGames
The RetroGen is a handheld “console on a chip” distributed by Innex (under the
name of retro-bit) under license from AtGames in 2009. It is a Sega Mega Drive
portable, similar in design to the Sega Nomad, but with an option to boot licensed
ROMs from an SD card.
It has a built-in 2.8 inch LCD screen but can also be connected to a TV set. It
is compatible with North American Sega Genesis cartridges an ships with a re-
chargeable battery pack. The recommended retail price is $49.99.
“segaretro.org”
Arcade Ultimate
Manufacturer AtGames
The Arcade Ultimate is a handheld Sega Mega Drive console on a chip created by
AtGames. It can be seen as an enhanced version of the Arcade Portable.
Like its predecessors, the name of this product is disputed and varies consider-
ably between regions and distributors. While AtGames call it the Arcade Ultimate
on their website, most packaging designs call the system the Gopher, with Sega Mega Drive Arcade Ultimate
Portable, Sega Genesis Ultimate Portable Game Player, Sega Genesis Firecore Portable Player, and Sega
Mega Drive Firecore Portable Player also in use. In Brazil the system is known as the MD Play.
There are three versions of the Arcade Ultimate, all with similar aesthetics. Models GP2628 and GP2628-
80 are the most common with 20 or 80 built-in games respectively, however a GP2628R variant (frequently
referred to as Gopher Wireless) also exists which adds support for AtGames’ range of wireless controllers
(which are both sold separately and bundled with some other AtGames consoles).
Arcade Ultimates are available worldwide, however are most common in the likes of Asia, specifically Rus-
sian and Chinese markets.
“segaretro.org”
422 • Console Variations
Mega-Tech System
Manufacturer Sega
The Mega-Tech System was an arcade cabinet released by Sega in 1989. It was
based on the Sega Mega Drive home console, and was designed similarly to Ninten-
do’s PlayChoice-10: players chose games from a menu of eight titles, with credits
buying more play time (usually 1 minute per credit) rather than extra lives or con-
tinues; reaching a game over screen does not end the play session, and players can
start over or choose a different game as long as there was some play time remaining.
The Mega-Tech was not released in North America, though did see use in Asia and
the PAL regions.
The unit features eight internal cartridge slots, allowing the arcade operator to
change what games were available to play. The hardware was tweaked to disal-
low cheaper retail Mega Drive games to be played on the system, and likewise,
Mega-Tech games will not run properly on a home Mega Drive console (and as
the cartridges use the Japanese Mega Drive mould, they will not physically fit into
western systems). The cabinet houses two monitors; the game itself runs on the
bottom screen while the top screen displays information including gameplay time
remaining (which flashes green when time runs short), the list of games available,
gameplay instructions, and a short synopsis of each game.
“segaretro.org”
Mega-Tech System
Manufacturer Sega
The Mega Play is the name of a JAMMA-based arcade board with the ability to
run Sega Mega Drive games. It was the second attempt by Sega to bring the home
console to the arcades, following the Mega-Tech arcade system. Like Mega-Tech
hardware, Mega Play hardware saw a release throughout Asia and the PAL regions,
but was not released in North America.
On first glance, a Mega Play machine is very similar to a Mega-Tech one, but there
are a number of key differences. Both allow the user to select from a number of built-
in games via a menu, however whereas Mega-Tech can hold up to eight cartridges,
Mega Play hardware can only store four. Mega-Tech and Mega Play cartridges are
not interchangeable, and both systems contain modifications to stop arcade owners
from purchasing and running cheaper retail Mega Drive cartridges instead. Also un-
like Mega-Tech hardware, no Sega Master System games were released for Mega
Play hardware.
Though there were fewer games released for Mega Play hardware than Mega-Tech hardware, each game was
modified for use in the arcades. With Mega-Tech, the user inserts coins for time, and can die as often as he or
she wants without repercussions. Mega Play differs in that a user pays for lives and is generally not hindered
by time, similar to other arcade systems. All Mega Play games were modified to limit the number of extra
chances (for example, Sonic the Hedgehog replaces all the extra life monitors).
The Mega Play system was seen as an upgrade to Mega-Tech, and could be housed within a Mega-Tech cabi-
net. Like Mega-Tech it was designed with two monitors in mind, one for game selection (top) and one for the
game itself (bottom), however once a game is selected the top screen will display the contents of the bottom
screen, allowing passers by to see the game in action and hopefully persuade them to have a go.
“segaretro.org”
424 • Controllers
Controllers
These pages consist of different SMD controllers, ranging from the basic controller to the more weird control-
lers. These controllers listed on these pages are just a fraction of all the different controllers released for the
system. Most of the information on these pages are form segaretro.org.
Third-party controllers offer players added features like autofire capabilities, while specialized controllers
provide enhanced gameplay experiences for certain game genres. The controllers featured here goes from
more or less regular controllers, joysticks, arcade-sticks, weird or immersive controllers, and light-guns. In
that order.
Control Pad
Manufacturer Sega
Release date 1988
The Sega Mega Drive Control Pad is the official controller of the
Genesis. Three button controllers are known officially as Control
Pads in both North America and Europe, and SJ-3500s in Japan.
There are many “updates” and alternatives to this controller, the
most notable being the Six Button Control Pad.
Mega Drive control pads are the logical progression from Master System control pads, replacing 1 and 2 with
A and B respectively, while adding an extra two face buttons, C and Start to bring the total number of but-
tons to four. Also featured is a circular D-Pad, designed to allow for movements in eight directions. Unlike
Nintendo’s systems, the buttons (or “triggers” as they were initially called) are arranged in alphabetical order
from left to right, a practise which would continue not only with future Sega consoles, but would inspire the
controllers of the Neo Geo, 3DO and Xbox lines.
Mega Drive controllers are notable for being one of the first control pads to be ergonomically designed for the
user’s hands. Though improvements were made in the coming years, previous systems had cornered edges
with their controllers, meaning they were often uncomfortable to hold after several hours of play. The Mega
Drive controller is rounded, and has its buttons placed in easier to reach positions.
Control pads remained mostly the same across regions, but the colouring can determine the region and revi-
sion of the accessory. A minor addition added in the early 90s is a little plastic lump on the B button, presum-
ably to help users recognise where their right hand thumb was.
Early versions of this controller used the same internals as the original design, but later models have an im-
proved D-Pad mechanism, employing a metal ball-bearing for the pad to rock on. This prevents wear which
plagues the original design, which uses a plastic nub for the rocking motion and will eventually wear down
with frequent use.
Info on this page is from segaretro.org
SJ-3500 (Japan; 1988) MK-1650 (US; 1989) MK-1650 (US; 199x) MK-1650 (US; 199x)
MK-1470
The 6 Button Arcade Pad MK-1470 is a six button controller for the Sega
Mega Drive released towards the end of the console’s lifespan in North Ameri-
ca. It is a successor to the MK-1653, which is awkwardly also known as the “6
Button Arcade Pad” in North America. The MK-1470 primarily differs from
the MK-1653 by adding a turbo switch and by being smaller in design.
Not only was the “6 Button Arcade Pad” name used twice, but the model
number was also used with a a different, cheaper control pad. The two MK-
1470s are functionally identical but feature different aesthetics.
“segaretro.org”
426 • Controllers
Aqua Pad
Manufacturer Dynacom
The Aqua Pad is a third-party six button control pad, common in regions such
as South America. At least two types of Aqua Pad exist, one which is only
compatible with the Super Nintendo, and a later model (with slightly different
labeling) which is also compatible with the Mega Drive. Both share the same
layout, complete with colour scheme and turbo switches.
“segaretro.org”
Blaster
Manufacturer (jp) Ace, (us) Inpax
The Blaster is a third-party controller for the Sega Mega Drive, released by Ace
in Japan. It is a simple three button controller with turbo features and came in two
forms, a black model and a white model. Inpax brought the controller to North
America as the Blaster G, this time styled in red. At present, it is unknown if there
are any differences between the Blaster and Blaster G.
“segaretro.org”
BolliStick
Manufacturer Cheetah
The BolliStick is a small controller with four buttons and unusually, a D-Pad
tilted at an angle. The Mega Drive version makes use of all four buttons for A, B,
C and Start, while the Master System version devotes the bottom two buttons for
1 and 2 (labeled A and B), and the top two buttons for turbo controls. BolliSticks
were released for other consoles too, such as the NES, but aside from some plug
and labelling changes, the controller is mostly identical across all platforms.
“segaretro.org”
Snapper
Manufacturer Beeshu
The Snapper is a third-party three button control pad for the Sega Mega Drive
released by Beeshu. An identical pad (aside from a different colour scheme/la-
beling) exists as the Owl Pad by Marpes, and similar to that, a controller named
Game Pad 3 by Performance.
“segaretro.org”
Mega Commander
Manufacturer Hori
The Mega Commander by Hori is a simple third-party six-button controller for
the Sega Mega Drive, complete with added turbo features, with three speed set-
tings for each button (normal, turbo and hold) and two slow-motion modes. It has
the same design and layout as Hori’s previously released Fighting Commander
controller for the Super Famicom, which in turn was based on the standard Super
Famicom controller, but with the L and R button on the front side. The Mode but-
ton is placed next to the Start button, similar to the Select and Start buttons on the
Super Famicom’s controller.
“segaretro.org”
Mega Pad
Manufacturer ASCII, S-Chi
The Mega Pad is a third party control pad released in the early 1990s for the Sega
Mega Drive, suspected of being produced by ASCII. It was licensed and distrib-
uted under Competition Pro branding in western regions as the Professional Con-
trol Pad. The controller is a fairly bog-standard three button controller with turbo
features. This one also has a slow motion mode which effectively a turbo feature
added to the start (pause) button.
MK-1470
Manufacturer Tec Toy?
The unnamed MK-1470 control pad is a controller for the Sega Mega Drive
which saw a very limited release in Brazil and possibly North America. At this
present time, it is unknown why this control pad exists - it was distributed with
one specific model of the Super Mega Drive 3 by Tec Toy in the late 1990s,
released at a similar time to another MK-1470 control pad by Majesco, prima-
rily for their Genesis 3 console. This MK-1470 is functionally identical to that
model, sporting six face buttons and primitive turbo features, but has very differ-
ent aesthetics more akin to the standard 3 button control pad.
This MK-1470 is noted for having a poorer build quality than its siblings, and being slightly more awkward
to hold due to its button placement.
Tec Toy would later fall back to the more familiar Six Button Control Pad (Japanese-style) for later consoles.
“segaretro.org”
Controllers • 429
Mortal Kombat II Kontrol Pad
Manufacturer Innovation
The Mortal Kombat II Kontrol Pad by Innovation is a third-party six-button
controller for the Sega Mega Drive, complete with added turbo features. It was
designed to assist players with the Mega Drive version of Mortal Kombat II,
having a selection of each character’s moves mapped to extra buttons. Perhaps
bizarrely, the controller actually uses cartridges containing special move data
which insert into the slot on the back. It is assumed that it is very similar (if not
identical, aethetics aside) to the Mortal Kombat 3 Kontrol Pad.
“segaretro.org”
Multi-System 6
Manufacturer Happ Controls
The Multi-System 6 is a third-party control pad compatible with both the Sega
Mega Drive and Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It was sold in North
America under Competition Pro branding - it is currently unknown whether it
was released elsewhere.
The Multi-System 6 is a relatively basic pad with turbo features. It leans more
towards the Super Nintendo in terms of aesthetics but the Mega Drive in terms
of physical design.
“segaretro.org”
Power Pad
Manufacturer Honest Soft
The Power Pad is a third-party controlled for the Sega Mega Drive, thought to
have been created by Honest Soft in Taiwan. It is a three button controller with
turbo features.
This controller’s history is not fully understood - it was sold in the US by Champ
and in the UK by Teqniche, but multiple unexplained variants also exist, such as
common variant by Recoton also sold in the US.
The “Power Pad” range would continue with the Power Pad 6, Power Pad Plus
and PowerPad 100.
“segaretro.org”
430 • Controllers
Pro-1
Manufacturer Chips Do Brasil
The Pro-1 is a third-party Sega Mega Drive control pad released by Chips Do
Brasil. It is the first of several controllers in the “Pro” series. The controller is a
relatively simple three button controller with very basic turbo features. Though
billed as an Atari 2600 and Sega Master System controller, it is, like the ma-
jority of 2600 and Master System controllers, fully compatible with the Mega
Drive, even sporting a C button which the aforementioned consoles lack. There
is a switch on the back which toggles between “A”, for better functioning on the
Atari 2600, and “B”, for the Master System.
“segaretro.org”
Rhino Pad
Manufacturer ASCII
The Rhino Pad is a third-party controller for the Sega Mega Drive, created by
ASCII’s western arms. It is simply a six button controller with turbo features.
“segaretro.org”
Controllers • 431
Remote Control System
Manufacturer WKK
The Remote Control System is a third party accessory for both the Sega Master
System and Sega Mega Drive, similar in nature to the Remote Arcade System. It
acts as a wireless alternative to the standard control pads, with infra-red control-
lers and receivers. Unlike the Remote Arcade System, the Remote Control Sys-
tem’s control pads have an LED signaling low battery life.
Both Master System and Mega Drive-branded units were released, but it seems
both are identical, save for a different label on the receiver (and the C button on the Master System version
does not function). It is presumed the controllers are compatible with both receivers and receivers compatible
with both consoles. The Mega Drive package shipped with two controllers, while the Master System only
contains one, explaining the differences in price.
A possible successor known known as the Cordless Elite was advertised with turbo features in North America.
A non-functional prototype has been spotted, but now lies in the hands of private collectors.
“segaretro.org”
Sega MegaFire
Manufacturer WKK
The Sega MegaFire control pad control pad was the first official “turbo” variation
of the Mega Drive Control Pad. It debuted in the early 1990s and is essentially an
extended three-button controller.
The MegaFire is extremely similar to a stock three-button pad, however features
three turbo switches placed above the A, B and C buttons. These allow a turbo
mode for each button to be switched on or off, meaning rather than a player hav-
ing to repeatedly press a button for a repeated action, they can simply hold it down and let the controller do the
work. Also notable is the movement of the Start button, which is now positioned on the left hand side, above
the D-Pad to make room for the turbo options.
Turbo Mega Drive controllers are common, partly because the system had a large library of shoot-’em-ups in
its first few years on the market. The MegaFire is not particularly notable, however, as future controllers would
allow the user to adjust the speed of the turbo option, and apply these functions to six-button controllers.
“segaretro.org”
432 • Controllers
CharacteriStick
Manufacturer Cheetah
The Cheetah CharacteriStick range is a set of novelty controllers built for the Sega
Mega Drive (and other systems that have DE-9 ports such as the Sega Master
System) and NES. They were produced in 1992, and take the form of various TV
and film characters which were popular at the time of release.
Each CharacteriStick is essentially a joystick with three buttons, two on the base
of the unit, and one positoned somewhere on the stick itself. The stick (which
replaces the d-pad) is modeled after a character. Due to the sometimes awkward
shape of these characters, it’s not a very comfortable way of playing a video
game, and so most users opted for the standard gamepad or official arcade sticks.
There are at least four different CharacteriSticks in the range; Bart Simpson (from
The Simpsons), a Terminator skull (from The Terminator 2: Judgement Day), Bat-
man (from Batman: The Animated Series) and an Alien (from the Alien movies).
Eagle 1
Manufacturer QuickShot
The Eagle 1 is a third-party accessory developed by QuickShot for the Sega Mega
Drive. It is a joystick with three buttons and turbo features.
It is not yet fully understood how this controller fundementally differs from the
Python 3 aside from aesthetics. There is the possibilty that this model has six but-
ton support.
“segaretro.org”
Controllers • 433
Joystick 200
Manufacturer Telemach
The Joystick 200 by Telemach is a third-party controller for the Sega Mega Drive.
Telemach released multiple Joystick 200s across Europe. The most common, and
likely first in the series, is an orange-finished two joystick for home computers - this
is the model featured on the Mega Drive versions’ box, despite the contents being
that of a four button stick with a blue/yellow finish. Similar variants for the NES and
IBM PC also exist.
“segaretro.org”
Python 3
Manufacturer QuickShot
The Python 3 is a third-party accessory developed by QuickShot for the Sega Mega
Drive. The Python 3 has three buttons as well as a turbo switch. It is designed to be
stuck to a flat surface for stability, and ergonomically designed like other QuickShot
joysticks.
The history of the Python 3 is odd. Whereas the Python 1M was adopted by Tec Toy
as an official product in Brazil, it seems the Python 3 mould was recycled by other
companies. The GeniStick is almost identical to the Python 3 bar colour and naming
schemes and h and the Mega Control Stick by TechnoPlus is also similar.
“segaretro.org”
SG Mega Star
Manufacturer QJ
The SG Mega Star is the “Sega version” of QJ’s earlier “Mega Star” joystick
(itself being part of QJ’s “star” range of joysticks), and complements both an
“orange” DE-9 home computer version, and a “red” “NI Mega Star”, intended
for the NES. SG Mega Stars are identifiable by the use of blue plastic, and the
need for A, B and Start buttons omitted from the original design. The joystick
itself is microswitched and like other controllers in the “star” range, uses trans-
lucent plastic.
“segaretro.org”
Battlestation II
Manufacturer Multicoin Australia
The Battlestation II is a third-party two-player arcade stick released by Multicoin
Australia in 1993. It is compatible with a multitude of consoles and computers
of the early 1990s - any computer which adopts the DE-9 port “standard” (the
Commodore Amiga being highlighted, though many other systems are compat-
ible), the Sega Mega Drive (and by extension, Sega Master System), the SNES
and NES. Consoles such as the Atari 2600 and Atari 7800 are also compatible. This MK-1470 is noted for
having a poorer build quality than its siblings, and being slightly more awkward to hold due to its button place-
ment.
The Battlestation II is made out of components similar to those found in real arcades, making it an expensive
but durable controller. It shipped with a number of leads to connect the unit to various systems, and is compat-
ible with the Mega Drive six button standard. Missing, however, is a Mode button, although there are turbo
switches. The unit also shipped with a bag for carrying.
Despite its name, no “Battlestation I” was released - it is assumed the “II” represents its two-player nature.
“segaretro.org”
Controllers • 435
Capcom Power Stick Fighter MD
Manufacturer Capcom
The Capcom Power Stick Fighter MD, sold as the Capcom Fighter Power Stick GS
in North America, is a third-party arcade stick for the Sega Mega Drive released
by Capcom. It was released primarily with Street Fighter II’: Special Champion
Edition in mind.
The shell of the CPS Fighter MD was recycled from the original CPS Fighter stick
for the NES and SNES, however the key difference (aside from the different plug
allowing it to connect to a Mega Drive) is that it is coloured white. Both, the CPS Fighter and CPS Fighter
MD, could be used on an FM-TOWNS or an X68000 through the use of an adapter.
“segaretro.org”
City Boy
Manufacturer Honest
The City Boy is an arcade stick created by Honest in the early 1990s. It is primi-
lary seen in Asian countries such as Taiwan. The controller is compatible with
the Sega Mega Drive, Famicom, Super Famicom/SNES and PC Engine/Tur-
boGrafx-16 (a separate stick is thought to have been released for the Neo Geo
under the same name). It is built with similar parts seen in real arcades, with
microswitched joysticks and buttons housed in a solid shell. There are also turbo
features and changable joystick heads. It is thought to be compatible with six but-
ton Mega Drive games also.
The history of the City Boy is not yet fully understood - it is thought other companies distributed the stick in
other regions of the world in small numbers. Successors exist as the City Boy 2 and City Boy III.
“segaretro.org”
Explorer-I
Manufacturer Champ
The Explorer is a third-party arcade stick for the Sega Mega Drive, created by
Champ. Many types of Explorer exist for various consoles in several colour
schemes - Mega Drive versions come in white or grey. The Mega Drive Explorer
is a three button stick with turbo features, styled similarly to a NES Advantage.
For whatever reason, the box features artwork from Super Thunder Blade. It was
released in Taiwan as the Explorer-I by Honyü, and as the Power Mate by Te-
qniche.
436 • Controllers
Mega Stick
Manufacturer ASCII, Cluster Corporation
The Mega Stick is an arcade stick for the Sega Mega Drive most likely manufac-
tured by ASCII. It is an officially licensed product in Europe, however in North
America and Japan it is merely a third-party product. The US variant is called the
Power Clutch SG while the Japanese version is called the Cluster Stick (and is
manufactured by Cluster Corporation). The Japanese model has different labeling
but performs identically.
The Mega Stick is a three button controller with the same features as a three-button Arcade Power Stick. How-
ever, it is a smaller and therefore cheaper unit.
“segaretro.org
MegaMaster VII
Manufacturer Saitek
The MegaMaster VII is a third-party arcade stick created by Saitek for the Sega
Mega Drive. As the name suggests, it is the seventh in the “MegaMaster” series,
with the previous six being released for other platforms (save for the MegaMaster
II).
The MegaMaster VII is a large six button stick with turbo features.
“segaretro.org
Viper
Manufacturer Conrad Electronics(?)
The Viper is a third-party six button arcade stick, compatible with both the Sega
Mega Drive and Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Its origin is not fully un-
derstood - it is thought to have been produced by Conrad Electronics in the early
1990s and sold across Europe, with a North American variant, the Pro Player be-
ing sold by Naki.
The controller was re-released as the Viper III (it is not known if a “Viper II” ex-
ists), although the differences between the two models are not obvious. The Viper III distinctly labels the
Mode button, potentially missing in the first model. The Mega Stick is a three button controller with the same
features as a three-button Arcade Power Stick. However, it is a smaller and therefore cheaper unit.
“segaretro.org
Controllers • 437
Per4mer Turbo Wheel
Manufacturer Home Arcade Systems
The Per4mer Turbo Wheel is a third-party steering wheel controller created by
Home Arcade Systems for a variety of home systems, including the Sega Mega
Drive and Sega Saturn. The Saturn version is known to come with pedals, though it
is unclear whether this also applies to the Mega Drive version.
Both variants of the Per4mer are rare. The Saturn version is expected to be a fairly
unremarkable steering wheel (and one of many readily available), but the Mega
Drive variant likely stands as the only racing controller for the system. The Mega
Drive version is known not to be strictly analogue, more likely working as a glorified turbo switch (e.g. the
more you turn left, the faster the device sends a Left signal to the console). Whether similar methods are ap-
plied to other versions is not known.
“segaretro.org”
Sega Mouse
Manufacturer Sega
The Sega Mouse is a special computer mouse designed to work with the Sega Mega
Drive and Sega Mega-CD. It can be seen as the Sega alternative to Nintendo’s
mouse accessory.
The Sega Mouse was released in Japan and Europe, only the major difference being
the colour scheme - Japan opted for blue buttons, Europe for red. Both came pack-
aged with a blue Sega-branded mouse mat. The European packaging actually calls
it a Sega Mega Drive Mouse, although games still refer to it as the “Sega Mouse”.
The Sega Mouse is a ball mouse, meaning it needs to be cleaned after regular use in order for it to continue to
function properly. Despite there being three buttons on a standard control pad, there are only two buttons on a
Sega Mouse, A and B, however unusually the unit places its C button on the ball itself - flipping the peripheral
turns it into a clickable trackball device.
North America did not receive the Sega Mouse, but instead the Mega Mouse, a similar but larger unit which
added the missing Start button and scrapped the clickable trackball. The Mega Mouse was distributed with
a red/black mouse mat, and its awkwardly placed Start button comes at a disadvantage to left-handed users.
Supposedly there are also some compatibility issues between the two mice, but this needs to be investigated.
Few games were created to take advantage of the Sega/Mega Mouse, and contrary to popular belief, Art Alive!
did not have mouse support. There were no Sega 32X games with mouse support.
“segaretro.org”
438 • Controllers
Batter Up
Manufacturer Sports Sciences
The Batter Up controller is a special Sega Mega Drive peripheral designed with baseball games in
mind. It was only released in North America and Brazil.
The Batter Up controller is shaped as a 24-inch bat surrounded by blue rubber foam. It responds
to the user’s movements, similar to the much later Wii remote. There are a number of buttons on
the side of the controller meaning it can also function as a normal control pad. The controller is
extremely rare and so little has been documented about it.
A similar peripheral was also released for the Super Nintendo.
“segaretro.org”
Footpedal
Manufacturer QJ
The Footpedal is a video game accessory designed by QJ. There are at least three
different versions - one for home computers, another for the NES, and one for
the Sega Mega Drive. No versions appear to have been released outside of Eu-
rope. All three Footpedals have the same outward appearance.
The Footpedal is a device for controlling games via your feet - a precursor to
analogue pedals often seen with video game steering wheels. QJ’s Footpedal
is entirely digital and has three very large coloured buttons along with various
switches to configure the device. It is designed so that the user can plug a dif-
ferent controller into the Footpedal and control the game as normal, making the footpedal an optional extra.
The Footpedal works best with racing games - if the user is forced to hold a button to accelerate, this can be
quite awkward on a traditional joystick setup. It has less of a use with consoles, as the layout of a gamepad is
far better suited to racing games, but still stood as one of the only options for emulating real-life car controls.
The Mega Drive version of the Footpedal is the only version in the set to make use of the three buttons, and
there are retractable supports at each side for comfort.
“segaretro.org”
Jet Fighter
Manufacturer Beeshu
The Jet Fighter, reportedly created by Beeshu is a third-party controller for the Sega
Mega Drive. It is considered to be one of the strangest Mega Drive controllers in
existence, being shaped, as the name suggests, like a jet fighter. It is a simple three
button pad with turbo features, which (provided the user has the extra lead) doubles
up as a Super Nintendo controller.
“segaretro.org”
TeeVGolf
Manufacturer Electronic Arts
The TeeVGolf peripheral is a golf controller designed exclusively for Electronic
Arts’ PGA Tour Golf series (PGA Tour Golf, PGA Tour Golf II, PGA Tour Golf III,
PGA European Tour and PGA Tour 96). It uses infrared beams to track the position
of the golf club.
Versions for the PC and SNES also exist.
“segaretro.org”
XE-1 AP
Manufacturer Dempa
The XE-1 AP is an unusual analogue controller manufactured by Dempa. It is com-
patible with the Sega Mega Drive, but also with a number of other Japanese con-
soles and computers (some require extra adapters). The device was not released out-
side of Japan, though is revolutionary in many ways due to the fact it was released in
1989 - nearly a decade before analogue features of this nature became mainstream.
Ahead of its time, it was the first controller to feature an analogue thumb-stick, ana-
logue slider, shoulder buttons and grip handles.
The controller has the following features: Ten face buttons, including six buttons
and four switches. Four shoulder buttons. Analogue thumb-stick. Analogue slider,
which can be rotated to suit the user. It allows for a third analogue axis or throttle.
Many of the buttons exist as switches to maintain compatibility with the computers the controller supports.
Others are turbo switches, or are simply not used in the majority of circumstances. There is also a switch to
turn the controller back to “digital mode”, allowing it to remain compatible with all games on each system
(aside from computer games that do not support joysticks).
The controller was an attempt at simulating/miniaturizing the HOTAS controls of Sega arcade cabinets such
as After Burner II (running on the Sega X Board system) on a handheld controller for home systems.
“segaretro.org”
Activator
Manufacturer Interactive Light
The Activator is a full-body motion based video game controller unit released by
Sega. It is an octagonal controller unit which sits on the floor and uses infra-red
beams to interpret movements. It was revealed for both the Sega Mega Drive con-
sole and Sega System 32 arcade system in August 1993. On the Mega Drive, it was
intended to act as a more immersive substitute for a standard control pad. In the
arcades, it was used for the fighting game Dragon Ball Z V.R.V.S., which used extra
sensors for better motion detection.
The Activator was created at a time where many video game companies were investing in virtual reality,
perceived at the time to be the future of gaming. However, for the most part, virtual reality was considered to
be too expensive to produce in homes at the time, so products such as the Activator were produced instead.
The Activator was developed by Interactive Light for Sega, and was also brought to Brazil by Tec Toy. It was
based on a musical instrument called the “Light Harp”, conceived by musician and martial artist Asaf Gurner.
The Activator is effectively a glorified control pad, with Left, Up, Right, Down, A, B, C and Start buttons
mapped to each of the eight segments.
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Controllers • 441
GameGun
Manufacturer American Laser Games
The GameGun is a third-party light gun accessory released by American Laser
Games, originally for the 3DO before being adapted for the Sega Mega Drive
and Sega Mega-CD. A PC version was also released, though no versions were of-
ficially sold outside of North America.
The GameGun was designed for American Laser Games’ series of Mega-CD light
gun games; Mad Dog McCree, Crime Patrol, Mad Dog II: The Lost Gold and
Who Shot Johnny Rock? (as well as the unreleased Space Pirates and Crime Pa-
trol 2: Drug Wars), but is also compatible with games designed for both the Sega
Menacer and Konami Justifier. The GameGun is the only widely produced light
gun to substitute the Menacer, and is therefore the only smaller alternative to an
accessory often criticised for its cumbersome size.
“segaretro.org”
The Justifier
Manufacturer Konami
The Justifier is a light-gun peripheral for the Mega Drive manufactured by Konami
produced specifically for Lethal Enforcers. Versions for the SNES and the original
PlayStation were also produced. The Justifiers are shaped like revolvers (and are
modeled after the Colt Python revolver), but are brightly coloured due to early 90s
fears that light guns could lead to gun crime. Lethal Enforcers and its sequel are
only compatible with The Justifiers, and thus all versions of the first game came
packaged with the peripheral.
The Mega Drive supports a maximum of two Justifier guns at once - the standard
blue one, which plugs into controller port 1, and a pink one, which plugs into the
blue Justifier with a 6-pin RJ-11 phone cord). The pink Justifier was only sold di-
rectly by Konami via a mail order offer. The pink Justifer is compatible with both,
the Mega Drive and Super NES models of the blue Justifier.
“segaretro.org”
Menacer
Manufacturer Sega
The Menacer is a wireless lightgun created by Sega for the Sega Mega Drive
video game console in 1992, as a response to the Super Scope by Nintendo. The
Menacer is made up of three interconnected sections. The main section alone can
be used as a pistol. A skeletonized shoulder stock can be added for extra support.
The third removable section are twin sights that are clipped on to the top of the
barrel. The twin sights are often seen as impractical, as one can not effectively see
what one was shooting at.
The Menacer is powered by 6 AAA batteries and is not connected by a wire to the
console but by an infrared beam that relays signals to a receiver box that would
ideally sit on top of the television. Advertised as “the most accurate light gun
ever,” the Menacer retailed for $100 in North America.
The Menacer is not compatible with all lightgun games - most notably Lethal
Enforcers, which requires Konami’s own Justifier gun.
“segaretro.org”
442 • Accessories
Accessories
These pages consist of a small sample of the more known Mega Drive accessories.
For more on accessories on the Mega Drive, please visit segaretro.org.
Megaverter
Manufacturer Alston
The Megaverter by Alston is an extremely rare adapter which allows SNES con-
trollers to be used on a Sega Mega Drive (and by extension, other consoles with
similar DE-9 setups such as the Sega Master System and Atari 2600). A short run
of Megaverters (“version 1” - it is unknown if there was ever a “version 2”) were
produced in the early 1990s and can handle six button setups.
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Accessories • 445
Team Player
Manufacturer Sega
The Team Player, known in Europe as the 4-Player Adaptor or Multiplayer (second
model) and as the Sega Tap in Japan, is a peripheral released by Sega for the Sega
Mega Drive, allowing for up to four players to plug Mega Drive controllers into the
unit for use in video games for four or more players. It is one of several solutions
to combat the lack of controller ports, with the 4 Way Play and J-Cart attempting
to achieve similar results.
The original model of the Team Player (MK-1654) and its international equivalents use a single connector
cable, leaving an additional port on the console free for a fifth player. Alternatively, the second port could
house a further Team Player, for up to 8 simultaneous players. When not in “MULTI” mode, the Team Player’s
switch can be used to specify which controller is mapped to the Mega Drive’s first controller port, so that the
player is able to switch between control pads and the Sega Mouse without detaching or connecting control-
lers. This original version competed directly with Electronic Arts’s 4 Way Play for support, with many of that
publisher’s titles supporting only their adapter, while other publishers preferred Sega’s device.
To resolve this split in the platform’s user base, Sega released a second Team Player model (MK-1647) which
features two connector cables and support for EA’s previously “exclusive” games. To use the “EXTRA” mode
which supports these titles, both connectors must be plugged into the Mega Drive’s controller ports, while
Team Player-compatible titles still need only one connector inserted, as in the original model. The improved
software compatibility and the use of cables rather than connectors molded directly into the adapter put the
MK-1647 at an advantage over the 4 Way Play, which required both controller ports to be the same distance
apart (thus preventing it from working with the CDX or X’eye).
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Super Multi-play
Manufacturer Performance
The Super Multi-play is a third-party multitap manufactured by Performance for use
with the Sega Mega Drive. It was only released in the US.
The Super Multi-play is built similarly to Sega’s own Team Player adapter (the orig-
inal version), but features a switch allowing it to play games developed for use with
the 4 Way Play. Because these two peripherals work in different ways, the Super
Multi-play actually has three leads which can be plugged into the Mega Drive. The left lead acts like the origi-
nal Sega Team Player (which only required one controller port), while the two on the right act like the 4 Way
Play, and must be inserted in both controller ports to play 4 Way Play games.
Unlike the Team Player, the Super Multi-play does not allow you to manually select how many controllers are
plugged in, and therefore always gives the signal all four controller ports are occupied even if they aren’t. This
doesn’t usually affect gameplay, however.
“segaretro.org”
4 Way Play
Manufacturer Electronic Arts
The 4 Way Play is an accessory created by Electronic Arts for the Sega Mega Drive.
It allows for up to four players to play together in certain games. Largely, mostly
games designed by EA itself supported it. When first released, Sega’s official Team
Player multi-player adaptor was not compatible with 4 Way Play games. Later re-
leases fixed this incompatibility issue.
“segaretro.org”
446 • Accessories
Genesis Speakers
Manufacturer Sega?
The Genesis Speakers (for lack of a better name) are a simple pair of speakers with
Sega Genesis branding.
The speakers were not sold in stores, instead given away in late 1990 and early 1991
to North American customers who had purchased three Mega Drive games between
26th December 1990 and 28th February 1991. At the time, it was not uncommon for
televisions to only output sound through one speaker (i.e. they are monaural), and likewise, the original model
Mega Drive can only output stereo sound via its built-in headphone socket. The idea, then, was that if these
speakers were plugged in to a Mega Drive console, users could experience better quality sound with their
games.
Today stereo speakers are commonplace, are built into most televisions and have been superseded in modern
consoles by various forms of surround sound setups. The redesigned Mega Drive 2 console also outputs stereo
to the television (and lacks a headphone socket), removing the need for these peripherals to exist. The speakers
themselves are not Mega Drive-specific, however they command slightly higher prices second-hand for their
novelty value.
“segaretro.org”
MD 8bit Converter
Manufacturer Loose Logic
The MD 8-bit Converter is a Sega Mega Drive accessory produced for Japan by
Loose Logic in 2004. It is essentially a smaller Power Base Converter, allowing
Japanese Sega Mega Drives to play Sega Master System games of all regions.
The device is very flimsy, so much so that the PCB is always visible. Connected to
the PCB at the top is a NTSC-U/PAL cartridge slot, while on the back is a NTSC-J
cartridge slot. The device otherwise works in the same way the Power Base Con-
verter does.
The box design is also based on the styles used with SG-1000 cartridge-based games.
“segaretro.org”
Pro MegaMaster
Manufacturer Datel
The Pro MegaMaster essentially serves as a smaller and cheaper alternative to the
Power Base Converter, allowing Mega Drive owners to play Sega Master System
games. Though the device has a built in pause button, it is unable to read games on
Sega Cards, and like the Power Base Converter will not function with SG-1000 car-
tridges (should an extra converter be used to take into account the differing cartridge
shape).
Like all Datel’s products from the era the Pro MegaMaster was not endorsed by
Sega. It was also sold in limited quantities primarily in the UK, making it a rarer item
than the Power Base Converter.
“segaretro.org”
Mega/Master Adaptor
Manufacturer Dynacom
The Mega/Master Adaptor is a third-party accessory developed by Dynacom. It was
most likely intended for the Dynacom Megavision clone console, however this re-
sults in it being compatible with the Sega Mega Drive. It was only released in Brazil.
The Mega/Master Adaptor is essentially a Power Base Converter minus the card slot (similar to the redesigned
Master System Converter II). It is notable because in Brazil, it was released before Sega’s official hardware
(distributed by Tec Toy), yet is a much smaller and cheaper piece of hardware performing the same basic task.
No Master System games on Sega Card were released in Brazil, making the extra features of the Power Base
Converter useless to non-collectors.
448 • Accessories
Interactor
Manufacturer Aura Systems
The Interactor is a wearable Sega Mega Drive (and SNES) accessory released by
Aura Systems in 1994. It was advertised as being a virtual reality device, in which
the player would be able to “feel” actions in games (e.g. if punched, the player
would be given a physical bump), a form of haptic feedback.
In reality the Interactor is a glorified set of stereo speakers, compatible with any
device with a standard headphone output (though specific cables were offered for
easier use with the two aforementioned consoles). It uses sound to create pulses
near the user’s chest or back - it has no way of discerning what happens on screen.
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StuntMaster
Manufacturer Victormaxx
The StuntMaster is a “virtual reality” headset created by Victormaxx for the Sega
Mega Drive and Super Nintendo. It is similar to Sega’s plans for their unreleased
Sega VR system, though no games were designed specifically for it. It was only
released in North America.
The StuntMaster is essentially a large pair of goggles with two built-in LCD screens which project the image
into each eye. As no 3D effects are implemented in the headset (and no games for either console supporting
3D output), it essentially acts as a TV. It requires its own power source which is provided with the unit.
The StuntMaster is notoriously difficult to set up without an instruction manual, and comes with some odd
features such as an attached “CV” documenting the fictional “life” of the unit. It will not function with the
Sega Mega Drive model 2 as it relies on the back DE-9 port of the model 1.
It is a very large and heavy unit which puts pressure on the front of the head, though there is also a clip which
can attach to the player’s shoulder to attempt to hold it upright (at the expense of being able to turn). Like Nin-
tendo’s Virtual Boy console (and numerous other attempts at “virtual reality”), prolonged use is not advised.
Some games are incompatible with the unit (mainly those which require light gun support), though a definitive
list has not been created.
“segaretro.org”
Power Plug
Manufacturer Tyco
The Power Plug is a third-party accessory by Tyco designed for the Sega Mega Drive. It
was only released in North America.
The Power Plug supposedly has the power to turn any standard Mega Drive controller
into the “ultimate weapon”, by adding various types of turbo features. A controller is
plugged into the Power Plug, which is then plugged into the console. Little else is cur-
rently known about the unit.
The device assists in controlling the Mega Drive, mainly through storing macros (button presses, and their
order, for example, quarter circle forward, then C, for a Fire Ball in street fighter II). “Thrash” provides built in
presets for a few common games (for example, the special moves for Ryu in Street Fighter II: Special Cham-
pion Edition and “Pro” allows the user to program the device to perform custom moves (for example, a fatality
move for Mortal Kombat, or a cheat code that has to be executed quickly (like the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 level
select) can be programmed slowly, one button at a time.
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Accessories • 449
Super Magic Drive
Manufacturer Front Far East
The Super Magic Drive, manufactured by Front Far East, is a copier that dumps
game cartridge info to four different types of floppy disks or to a PC directly via
a parallel port. These files come in SMD format, which in turn can be used on an
emulator. In addition, putting different floppy disks in the Super Magic Drive al-
lows them to be playable on the Sega Mega Drive.
It also has features for supporting battery-backed RAM present in some game
cartridges, as well as providing functions for disk management. With an adapter,
the Super Magic Drive can copy and play SNES games too. Another allows PC
Engine games to be copied, but the games have to be loaded from the external
disk drive every time instead of being able to play them from the memory. In ad-
dition, the Super Magic Drive serves as a Japanese/North American/European
ROM converter.
“segaretro.org”
RetroGen
Manufacturer Retro-bit
The RetroGen is an accessory for the SNES, allowing the console to play Sega Mega
Drive games. The RetroGen is less impressive than it sounds - it is effectively a Mega
Drive console housed within a SNES game cartridge. It draws its power from the SNES
and uses the SNES controllers for input, but requires its own separate A/V cables. The
internals of the Super Nintendo are rarely used - everything is done from within the car-
tridge.
450 • Accessories
Everdrive MD
Manufacturer KRIKzz
The Everdrive MD, originally known simply as the Everdrive is a flash cartridge for
the Sega Mega Drive. Like other releases in the Everdrive family, it allows Mega
Drive ROMs, loaded onto an SD card (with a capacity up to 32GB), to be to be
played on real hardware.
The Everdrive MD is capable of running every known Sega Mega Drive game
(including the 6MB Super Street Fighter II) bar Virtua Racing, which requires an
additional processor originally included in the retail cartridge. It can also run Sega
32X and Sega Master System games (with a pause button included on the top of the cartridge for the latter).
Game ROMs are loaded from an SD card into the Everdrive’s memory via a simple text menu, and a ROM
will remain in memory until another replaces it, even if the console is switched off. SRAM game saves can
also be loaded to and from the SD card.
It can also be used to change the BIOS of the Sega Mega-CD, eliminating the region lock. Game Genie codes
are also supported.
An improved Everdrive, the Mega Everdrive was released for the console in 2012.
“segaretro.org”
Game Genie
Manufacturer Codemasters
The Sega Mega Drive version of the Game Genie is a specialised “cheat cartridge” (or “vid-
eo game enhancers”) developed by Codemasters for the which allows the user to manipulate
video games.
Though developed by Codemasters, distribution was handled by Camerica in Canada and
Galoob in the United States (and Europe, with the help of third-party distributors). Follow-
ing the controversy of a NES version of the device - of which Nintendo unsuccessfully tried
to block, the Mega Drive (and Game Gear enhancer) were adopted by Sega as officially
licensed products.
The Game Genie brand has since been discontinued, however the idea lived on through Action Replay and
GameShark hacking devices on newer consoles in the years which followed. Game Genie codes have since
become a supported feature in most emulators.
“segaretro.org”
Game Wizard
Manufacturer Innovation
The Game Wizard is a “video game enhancer” released for the Sega Mega Drive that was
released by Innovation for the which allows the user to manipulate video games.
It is similar to the (Pro) Action Replay and the codes are in the same format, with up to four
codes being able to be entered at once. A SNES version was also released but info on the
Mega Drive version seems to be more rare to come by.
While essentially a cheaper alternative to Datel’s Action Replay, Innovation claimed the
Game Wizard had an edge as it is fully compatible with X-Men, a game that requires a soft
reset at one point in the game.
A Sega Game Gear version of the Game Wizard was advertised, though whether it made it to production is
currently uncertain.
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Accessories • 451
Sega Mega Anser
Manufacturer Tectoy
The Sega Mega Anser was an accessory for the Sega Mega Drive which gave ac-
cess to various online services in Japan. It came with the Ten Key Pad and required
the Sega Mega Modem. With an optional printer it could print receipts, statements,
among other banking info.
Though it came with its own software, specialized software was also built for it:
• Naisu-kun Mini, for the Bank of Nagoya
• Osaka Bank My Line, for some bank “Osaka Bank”
• Sumisei Home Tanmatsu, for Sumitomo Life life insurance
“segaretro.org”
Mega Modem
Manufacturer Sega
The Mega Modem is a modem for the Sega Mega Drive released in 1990 exclu-
sively in Japan. It allows a Mega Drive owner to connect his console to the Internet
through services provided by Sega. Ultimately, three services made use of the mo-
dem: the Mega Anser, Sega Meganet, and Sansan (there have been other banking
services: Naisu-kun Mini and Osaka Bank My Line; and Sumisei Home Tanmatsu, which appears to be a life
insurance system — whether or not they use Mega Anser is unconfirmed).
The modem connects to the back of a Mega Drive through the third DE-9 expansion port; consequently, it will
only connect to a Model 1 Mega Drive. Furthermore, two models of the Mega Modem are known to exist: one
that connects to the Internet through a phone line (which was sold both standalone and with the Meganet’s
Sega Game Library cartridge) and one that connects through an RS232C cable built into the unit.
According to promotional materials, the Mega Modem would have been renamed the TeleGenesis if it were
released in the US. This variant was once set for release in July 1990 for around $100, but was cancelled for
unknown reasons. The original model of the Team Player (MK-1654) and its international equivalents use a
single connector cable, leaving an additional port on the console free for a fifth player. Alternatively, the sec-
ond port could house a further Team Player, for up to 8 simultaneous players. When not in “MULTI” mode,
the Team Player’s switch can be used to specify which controller is mapped to the Mega Drive’s first control-
ler port, so that the player is able to switch between control pads and the Sega Mouse without detaching or
connecting controllers. This original version competed directly with Electronic Arts’s 4 Way Play for support,
with many of that publisher’s titles supporting only their adapter, while other publishers preferred Sega’s de-
vice.
“segaretro.org”
Mega Terminal
Manufacturer Sega
The Mega Terminal is a Japan-only accessory for the Sega Mega Drive. It is
exceptionally rare and has not been widely documented, however is known to
interact with the Sega Mega Modem in some way.
It is presumed the device can link up to an ISDN telephone line and transmit (or
recieve) data at a rate of 1200-2400bps.
“segaretro.org”
452 • Accessories
XB ND
Manufacturer Catapult
XBAND is the name of a video game modem/online service offered by Catapult in the
mid-1990s. It allowed video game consoles to connect to the internet, so players could
compete online, as well as check emails (or “xmails” as they were called here) and read
news about the service. Though not the first online service to be offered to video game
consumers, it was one of the first to be released outside of Japan.
As a third party invention, XBAND modems were available for several consoles - the Genesis in North Ameri-
ca and Brazil, and the SNES, also in North America. The XBAND name was not retained across regions of the
world. In Brazil the Mega Drive service came in the form of the Mega Net 2 (following the Tectoy Mega Net,
a slightly different service). In Japan, the technology would later be used to power the Sega Saturn Modem.
As with most old online systems, the XBAND servers no longer exist, meaning the modems are without pur-
pose.
“segaretro.org”
Telebradesco Residência
Manufacturer Tectoy
Telebradesco Residência is an exceptionally rare accessory for the Sega Mega Drive, dis-
tributed solely in Brazil. Similar to the Mega Net, it is a cartridge with a built in modem,
allowing the user to access bank account details. It was distributed for free with Bradesco
bank accounts.
“segaretro.org”
Cleaning System
Manufacturer Sega
The Cleaning System is a simple device which simply extracts dirt. Unlike other cleaners,
it requires no fluids, although depending on the situation this may mean it does not fix the
problem.
Accessories • 453
Demo System DS-16
Manufacturer Sega
The Demo System DS-16 is an add-on for the Sega Mega Drive used for store kiosks.
Six Mega Drive cartridges can be inserted into the unit, and then switched between
via an extra button (which would be hooked up to a kiosk cabinet). It was not made
available to the general public, though some third-party companies announced similar
substitutes (such as the unreleased Video Jukebox).
The DS-16 was not meant to be seen from the outside, and is therefore an ugly-but-practical unit. It connects
to the Mega Drive’s expansion port in a not-very-secure way, presumably because unlike the Sega Mega-CD,
it was unlikely to ever be moved during play.
Sega went through several kiosks during the Mega Drive years, and this one was primarily used in North
America. It only accepts western-style cartridges.
Not much is known about the system but this much is known. The unit does not function with carts that have
an SRAM save function built in like on a Sonic 3 cart. This is no doubt due to the fact that this device was
made for the demonstration of games and therefore the store owner would not want any games to have saved
progress on them. As of 11/15 it has been confirmed that demo unit serial b10000372 can play sram equipped
games. Other units might also be capable of playing sram equipped games as well.
The system also has a built in timer function that can switch the games automatically at a set interval. The time
per game can be adjusted with a potentiometer and it can be turned off completely with a switch on the back.
The image doesn’t show it, but there is also a cage that locks into place on the top over the game carts. This is
to no doubt help deter thieves should they get access to the unit or perhaps to protect the game carts. It slides
in place through two slots in the back and locks in the front with a barrel lock.
“segaretro.org”
Sprobe
Manufacturer Electronic Arts
The Sprobe or Sega Probe is an unofficial development kit created by Electronic Arts
for the Sega Mega Drive.
The Sprobe dates back to the late 1980s, in which Sega were unable to meet demand
for Mega Drive development kits. Not wishing to invest extra time and money, EA
“borrowed” a development kit from an unnamed third party, and reverse engineered
its contents, creating the Sprobe.
The Sprobe has all the features of a regular model 1 Mega Drive (housed within the
Sprobe is the innards of a real console) plus debugging equipment and the ability to
connect to a computer. Though it was never mass produced, a small number of copies were created for use
throughout the company.
Very little is known about the “real” Mega Drive development kit, so comparing the two at this present time
is impossible.
EA actually keeps a Sprobe on display at their headquarters.
“segaretro.org”
Video Jukebox
Manufacturer ASG Technologies
The Video Jukebox, “nicknamed” VJ, is an unreleased accessory for the Mega Drive. The VJ would allow the
user to choose between up six Mega Drive games without the need to open boxes and insert cartridges.
Accessories • 455
Cartridge Caddy
Manufacturer Nuby
The Cartridge Caddy is a storage solution for Sega Mega Drive
(and by extension, Sega Master System) games offered by Nuby
during the early 1990s. At some point it was adopted by Sega as an
official product.
The title is misleading as it does not store Sega cartridges, but rath-
er, Sega’s plastic “clamshell” boxes.
“segaretro.org”
US Genesis LIST
The first list is made up of only games released in North-America (NTSC). The
NTSC version of a Genesis game can be easily recognised on the name, Gen-
esis.
Sega-manufactured Japanese, Korean and Asian cartridges are shaped differ-
ently to those seen in North America, South America, Europe and Oceania,
however the differences largely concern the aesthetics.